"He ruined his career lmao what a bum": Nico Iamaleava gets grilled by CFB fans after disastrous UCLA debut vs. Utah Utes

Nico Iamaleava had a disappointing start to his journey with the UCLA Bruins. The quarterback went 11 of 22 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown in a 43-10 loss to the visiting Utah Utes.

Iamaleava left the Tennessee Volunteers in the spring due to disputes in his NIL contract. Tennessee ended up acquiring Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar as his replacement. He had an impressive debut for the 24th-ranked Vols during their 45-26 victory over the Syracuse Orange on Saturday, going 16 of 28 for 247 yards and three touchdowns.

Fans on social media drew a comparison between Nico Iamaleava and Joey Aguilar's performances over the weekend. They trolled the UCLA quarterback for his disastrous debut.

Jolt

@Jolt_11

@CFBRep Ruined his career lmao what a bum

Brett Baty Truther

@LoganNe89196846

Nico Iamaleava really caused all this drama just to get his ass handed to him against Utah

John “Long John” Jackman

@LongJohn1962

Nico Iamaleava has cooked his career.

Scott Reichel

@ReichelRadio

The funniest part about the Nico Iamaleava saga is that some people actually think he's a good quarterback. UCLA gave an average quarterback $1.5 million in NIL money and expected him to fix their program 😂

jaykub

@OSUMARS

nico iamaleava pissed away his career by going to UCLA and leaving tennessee, who ran literally the most QB friendly simple offense you can have, because of delusions of grandeur that it's clear by this UCLA/Utah game he cannot back up. sad

JDUBU23

@JDUBU_23

@TahkievJones_21 @nico_iamaleava8 @Nic_Iamaleava It's almost like he's never played a real defense. The dude is overrated.

Nico Iamaleavea began his collegiate journey with the Volunteers in 2023. During his freshman campaign, he served as the backup to Joe Milton and saw time in five games.

Last season, he took over as the team's starting quarterback and helped them to a 10-3 record and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. However, the Vols lost to Ohio State in the first round. Iamaleava recorded 2,616 yards and 19 TDs passing.

This offseason, the quarterback demanded a better NIL deal from the Vols. However, Josh Heupel denied Nico Iamaleava's request, which resulted in him joining the UCLA Bruins.

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UCLA coach DeShaun Foster shares his thoughts on Nico Iamaleava's debut

In the postgame news conference, UCLA coach DeShaun Foster shared his thoughts on Nico Iamaleava's debut.

He said that the quarterback put up a great effort to help his team. However, he also believes that they can do a better job in getting him prepared for the rest of the season:

"Nico's a competitor, you know; he's not gonna quit. Keep playing hard, kept motivating the guys around him. So, you know, we've gotta do a better job protecting him and keeping him upright."

Ira Gorawara

@IraGorawara

Deshaun Foster on Nico Iamaleava’s debut: “Nico's a competitor, you know, he's not gonna quit. Keep playing hard, kept motivating the guys around him. So, you know, we’ve gotta do a better job protecting him and keeping him upright.”

Last season, the Bruins finished 5-7, failing to qualify for a bowl. They are next scheduled to take on the UNLV Rebels on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium. The game will be broadcast on CBSSN at 8 p.m. ET.