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LOS ANGELES — DeShaun Foster got busy overhauling most of his coaching staff after his first season at UCLA. He upgraded the roster, making a splash in the transfer portal by landing quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Iamaleava left Tennessee before the spring game to return home to Los Angeles, where he’ll try to take the Bruins to heights they haven’t been in years.
UCLA was 5-7 overall and 3-6 in its debut season in the Big Ten Conference under Foster. The Bruins’ last double-digit win season was in 2014 and they’ve made just three bowl appearances since 2017, losing twice.
Iamaleava is among 55 new players in Westwood, along with eight new assistants. He didn’t participate in spring camp, so how quickly the Bruins come together will be something to watch.
“I love how humble he is,” Foster said. “He’s open to learning anything and he hasn’t big-timed anybody in our program. He’s always in there acting like one of the regular guys, like he’s been here the whole time.”
Nico and Tino
Tino Sunseri replaces offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who was fired after one season. Sunseri helped Indiana average 41.3 points — second-best in the nation — and reach the College Football Playoff last year.
Sunseri, 36, played quarterback at Pitt and went on to the Canadian Football League before starting his coaching career with stops including Florida State and Alabama.
“I just love Tino’s energy,” Foster said. “He’s played quarterback at a high level and he just holds them accountable.”
Sunseri and Iamaleava hit it off early on.
“The thing about Nico is he’s a self-driven person. He has a certain standard of how he wants to operate each day,” Sunseri said. “There’s not one day that he hasn’t come in here that he’s not focused on…
Source link : https://www.nbcsports.com/college-football/news/new-look-ucla-aims-for-turnaround-with-transfer-quarterback-nico-iamaleava
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Publish date : 2025-08-21 14:31:00
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