Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, right, and defensive back Rickey Gibson III, left, celebrate a win over Vanderbilt in November. Iamaleava is transferring to UCLA. (George Walker IV / Associated Press)
The UCLA football program has a coach with a losing record, losing seasons in six of the last nine years, a losing bowl record, and a losing-their-minds fan base.
This is a disappointing outfit desperately in need of a field leader, a staunch huddle general who can command loyalty and model integrity and win the battles.
Advertisement
So what do they do?
They hire a deserter.
They hire a kid who just quit on one of the country’s top programs, who fled during the worst possible time because his monetary demands weren’t met, and who was booted out before he changed his mind.
UCLA, meet your new quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, a 20-year-old Long Beach kid who walked out on Tennessee one day before their recent spring game reportedly in hopes of earning a $2-million raise on his reported four-year, $8-million contract.
Read more: Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava commits to UCLA
Tennessee decided he wasn’t worth it. Then Iamaleava decided Tennessee wasn’t worth it.
Advertisement
Thus began a vicious journey during which Iamaleava became college football’s first big holdout, then college football’s most ill-timed walkout, then college football’s first unofficial player firing, then … hello UCLA!
Few schools wanted to touch him at this late date and at anything close to that price, but the Bruins embraced him. Few schools felt they could trust him with their most valuable possession, but the Bruins threw him the keys.
The kid signed with the Bruins this weekend for reportedly much less than the $4 million he was seeking and even less than what he was currently making, all to play in a half-empty stadium for…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/plaschke-nico-iamaleava-joining-ucla-230733157.html
Author : Bill Plaschke
Publish date : 2025-04-21 23:07:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
