UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava drops 1-word comment as ex-Tennessee teammate leaves for LSU

Former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava reacted to the news of one of his former teammates leaving Rocky Top on Instagram.

On Wednesday, Iamaleava gave a one-word tribute to Volunteers offensive linesman Jackson Lampley, who has left the program for the LSU Tigers.

"Lamp"

Picture Source: Nico Iamaleava Instagram account

However, Lampley is not heading down to Baton Rouge to play for Brian Kelly's side. He will be part of the coaching staff, serving as an offensive intern.

He explained his decision in detail in his goodbye message to Tennessee fans which he posted onto X (formally Twitter):

"I've spent the last several months preparing to transition into coaching, and am deeply appreciative to all of the college coaches who have been supporting and encouraging me as I begin this journey...I'm thrilled to be able to announce that I'm going on my college coaching journey by serving as an offensive coaching intern at LSU. I am so grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to get to Baton Rouge and get to work. Geaux Tigers!"

As a player, Lampley was one of the strongest offensive linesmen in the country, and his contributions helped the Volunteers make the College Football Playoff last season for the first time. During the 2024 season, he did not allow a single quarterback hit or pressure in more than 230 snaps.

The quarterback that he was committed to protecting during this year was freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Lampley gave Iamaleava enough time to find receivers down field, throwing for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns in a strong rookie year.

However, due to a controversy surrounding NIL deals, Iamaleava refused to attend the Volunteers training camp and was dropped as their starting quarterback a few days later. He would then transfer to UCLA, leaving Tennessee without their starting quarterback and their strong offensive linesman for the 2025 season.

Nico Iamaleava is the best transfer portal player according to ESPN

Tennessee's loss may be UCLA's gain. On Wednesday, Nico Iamaleava was crowded by ESPN as the best transfer portal player this season.

"There is no debating that Iamaleava is one of the most physically talented quarterbacks in college football." (ESPN)

After the freshman year that he had in Tennessee, no one would have expected him to enter the transfer portal, especially a player who was set to lead a top SEC program for the next three years.

But, due to the NIL disagreement with the program, he did leave and is now hoping to turn around the UCLA Bruins program.

This team has been struggling and their move to the Big Ten Conference last season did not help them. They will hope that Iamaleava is the cure for their issues.