UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava’s NIL valuation plummets after Utah loss

Nico Iamaleava didn't just lose a football game to Utah on Saturday night. He also lost several hundred thousand dollars in Name, Image and Likeness value as calculated by the folks at On3.

On3's NIL Valuation have become an industry standard, at least, it's probably the best guess we have at a player's true value in terms of both performance and marketability. Their metrics have always loved Iamaleava and he's been one of the highest-valued players in college football since he was a high school recruit.

However, after an NIL value that ballooned for years, some air got let out after a concerningly poor first performance as a Bruin. The drama between he and Tennessee from the spring, regardless of anyone's stance on the matter, likely didn't help him either.

Following the Week 1 UCLA loss to Utah by 33 points, 43-10, On3 slid Iamaleava's NIL figure down a bit. Before the game, it was just over $2 million. As of September 3 and 4? It's been listed in the $1.7 million range. On3 notes a drop of $302,000, or 15% of his previous value, which had held steady entering last weekend. Now? He's worth a little less than two million bucks. Boo hoo, right?

On3's player profile of Iamaleava features a ton of good info, including his social media followers. Apparently, Nico Iamaleava has just under 400,000 total social media followers — 390K to be precise — across Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.

Among On3's top 100 highest-valued college athletes, Iamaleava slots in at No. 35. Of course, football players dominate the list and Iamaleava is the No. 23 ranked football player according to On3's metrics. For reference, four of On3's top five athletes are college football players, and three of those are quarterbacks: Arch Manning (1st), Carson Beck (2nd) and Garrett Nussmeier (5th).

Nico arrived Los Angeles as part of what amounted to a quarterback trade between the Bruins and Volunteers. When Nico Iamaleava came in, Joey Aguilar left, de-committing from UCLA to ultimately wind up filling the gap at Tennessee. Through one week, Tennessee appears to be winning the swap...

Iamaleava did lead the Bruins in passing and rushing in the Utah loss, but he completed just 11 of 22 passes for 136 total yards through the air, including the team's only touchdown and an interception. He also carried the ball 13 times for just 47 yards, a 3.6-yard average.