How will the Nico Iamaleava era play out at UCLA? He has arrived at his new home with just a few months remaining until the Bruins line up for their first snap. Iamaleava has to flush out a strategy installed in him by Josh Heupel and take a crash course in mastering the UCLA offense. Sure, he’s the program’s most elite recruit and has changed the season’s odds for the program so drastically. But what could be the exact strategy that DeShaun Foster and Co. can have for their new QB so that he can make the best of his own skills?
Iamaleava finished his first season as Tennessee’s starting QB with 2,616 yards, 19 TDs, and 5 INTs. It shows that Iamaleava doesn’t really have a lot of glaringly dangerous problem points. What he needed was some more fine-tuning from Heupel to lead an offensive strategy he was used to. But UCLA is foreign ground for him. This is a new program, which means the offense is new and the strategy is new. It won’t be exactly back-to-school for Iamaleava as he trains under Foster, since he has experience.
But UCLA will have a different plan in mind for him, with new OC Tino Sunseri in the play. In a May 24 video, On3’s Andy Staples figured that Sunseri’s plans for Iamaleava stand to be of benefit to the QB. To that, analyst Clark Brooks added, “Indiana ran a lot of RPOs last year. In theory, yeah, that aspect, making him a distributor, you know, getting the ball out fast, as I mentioned, the veer and shoot when it’s running drop-back stuff, it’s a vertical choice type of stuff, it can buffer and lead to mistakes.”
Despite all the drama over his move to the Bruins, the fact remains that Nico is a quality quarterback. He is joining a team whose offense failed to establish its authority in its first season in the Big Ten. DeShaun Foster’s team averaged just 18.4 points/game. The Tennessee Volunteers were getting that many points in a half at times. The best thing about Iamaleava? His arm talent.
UCLA OC Sunseri will have a lot to work with when it comes to engaging speedy WRs or deep crosses. Considering he was the architect behind Kurtis Rourke’s offensive prowess for the Hoosiers, the Bruins can hope for similar magic with their new QB1.
“I think more true quick game stuff, whether it is slants, whether it is spot, whether it is stick, whether it is these tried and true West Coast staples to truly, you know, make him a point guard and getting the ball out into playmaker space and just matriculate down the field… I think that could be very well and help his development,” Brooks added.
Iamaleava is still holding onto cerebral powers as he trains. But apart from that strength and a powerful arm, there are other issues that he needs to steer clear of in his 2025 season with UCLA.
Nico Iamaleava warned of previous mistakes
Andy Staples also noted some unexplainable factors that create doubts about Iamaleava’s potential this season. “Why were the deep balls not catchable? You know, because that was the frustrating thing about watching him at Tennessee, is that there were open receivers that he just missed sometimes.” According to Brooks, who is a pro with stats, Iamaleava recorded the SEC’s highest uncatchable pass rate beyond 20 yards in the downfield.
Also, Iamaleava is coming from an unproductive school of thought from Tennessee. “When we talk about the veer and shoot is the offense that Tennessee runs, it is based on the old Art Briles’ Baylor offense, and it’s like we’ve yet to see an NFL quarterback come from the veer and shoot,” said Staples.
But we mustn’t forget that 2025 will be Nico’s second year as a starter. So, there is bound to be some growth, especially when it comes to his decision-making. As Nico Iamaleava is facing the test of time at UCLA, so is his counterpart, Joey Aguilar. The former Tennessee QB has to improve on his own faults while also working to complete his training in such a short time. How do you think Nico Iamaleava will fare in the 2025 season?
The post DeShaun Foster’s Masterplan for Nico Iamaleava Revealed After UCLA Warned of Costly Tennessee Mistakes appeared first on EssentiallySports.
