LAS VEGAS – It’s only been a few months since UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava set the college football world on fire in April, leaving Tennessee after a re-negotiation of his NIL deal seemingly went sour the week of the Volunteers’ spring game.
The 20-year-old Long Beach native had the opportunity to set the record straight at Big Ten Media Day on Thursday, where he adamantly insisted that his decision to leave Tennessee for UCLA was strictly based on his desire to be closer to family, namely his mother, and to give them more chances to see him play in person.
“It was a tough situation to be in,” Iamaleava said. “At the end of the day, I did what was best for me. That was getting back home to my family, closer to my family while still competing at the highest level.
“In the back of my head, I always wanted to come back home and be close with my mom, be close with my dad. Just to have my family, their support at our games. In our Samoan culture, I think we're always together and I think that was the main thing for me, the driving factor for me.”
In the few months since Iamaleava’s departure, the former No. 1 overall recruit has had his character and his career put on trial by fans and media across the country. After all, if his exit truly went as reports indicated, it would have been perhaps the most drastic step in the constantly evolving and growingly unpopular concept of free agency in college athletics.
Iamaleava, however, insisted that the narratives surrounding his departure from Tennessee were “false reports”. Reading between the lines of his comments, it’s pretty clear he believes those reports came directly from coach Josh Heupel and the Tennessee camp. When asked about the timing of his decision and the communication he had with Heupel, the quarterback had a blunt response.
“My decision to leave Tennessee was around the time that, I think, when the reports came out,” Iamaleava said. “Just false reports that made me not feel comfortable in the position I was in. False stuff about whether it was a financial thing or not.
“My driving factor to come back home was my family. I hope every Tennessee fan understands that. It was really one of the hardest decisions that I’ve ever had to make. But I had to do what was best for me and my family.”
Because of the wildfire of narratives that spread following Iamaleava’s departure and his subsequent signing with his hometown UCLA Bruins, coach DeShaun Foster believed it was paramount for Iamaleava to be one of the program’s two player participants in Las Vegas this week.
“I wanted to bring him here,” Foster said. “You know, it's time to let you tell your story. A lot of people wrote the book for him and didn’t talk to him about. I just wanted him to come out here, not for me, but because you guys were going to ask me these questions and now (I would be) speaking for him. I wanted him to be able to go out there and really tell his truth.”
Foster, a six-year NFL veteran, knows firsthand how lingering off-the-field questions and narratives can negatively affect a team if left unaddressed.
“It's huge,” Foster said. “Because now we can just go back to playing ball, you know? We kind of put something to rest and let that go and now we can go play ball. I just think that he was looking forward to this opportunity. It was never, ‘I don't want to come’ or anything. I asked him, he was like, ‘yeah’. And we're here.”
Iamaleava saw value in the opportunity as well, shutting down reports that suggested he left Tennessee because of an underperforming offensive line and that his family was spurned by Oregon coach Dan Lanning during the free agency recruiting process.
“I don't know where all that comes from,” Iamaleava said. “I'm hearing it from you guys, just like you're hearing it from me. With (those) situations, I’m just focused on football and I let my business side of the team take care of it. No animosity, I have nothing but respect.”
Iamaleava led Tennessee to a 10-3 record last season and an appearance in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, where his Volunteers were throttled by eventual national champion Ohio State 42-17.
The Buckeyes, of course, are also one of UCLA’s new Big Ten foes, meaning the quarterback will get his own personal chance at redemption in Columbus on November 20. Perhaps the most valuable lesson he learned in January’s playoff loss is how to handle a frigid Big Ten environment late in the season.
“I think last year, what I took from the game is not to let anything that happens in the game sway how we're thinking. I think we let that first half affect our team and how we performed in the second half.
“I think just keeping our composure and going into big games like that and responding well was the main thing I took from that. I'm excited to catch those boys again, it’ll be a big test for me.”
Iamaleava and the Bruins open their season with a Week 1 non-conference matchup at home against Utah, before heading back to Las Vegas for a Week 2 contest against Dan Mullen’s UNLV Rebels at Allegiant Stadium.