QB Nico Iamaleava plans to stick with UCLA for the 2027 season
Things became official on Thursday. After weeks of assuming that Nico Iamaleava will miss the rest of the season, the UCLA quarterback confirmed that on Instagram.
Iamaleava was injured against Oregon and ultimately tore his ACL. Despite the serious injury, Iamaleava also expressed his interest in returning to UCLA in 2027. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that Iamaleava has “indicated” to the university that he plans to remain with the team next year.
UCLA star quarterback Nico Iamaleava has indicated to the Bruins that he plans to return to UCLA next season instead of leaving for the NFL, his agent @RudyCaamano of @AiC_Athletes tells @CBSSports.
Before sustaining a torn ACL earlier this month, he’d been emerging as a… pic.twitter.com/bDkDInf0eo
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 29, 2026
“Well, I’m heartbroken the way my season ended. I’ve finally accepted that this year is really over for me,” Iamaleava said. “This wasn’t a part of the plan, but I believe everything happens for a reason. I gave this game and my brothers everything I had and I’ll continue to lean on God and trust His plan. I’ll be back.”
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Iamaleava wants to stick around. Iamaleava’s stock did not climb in 2026. The Long Beach native was not consistent early in the season and then suffered a serious knee injury, which could negatively affect Iamaleava’s mobility. Iamaleava threw for 982 yards with four passing touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 62% of his passes.
Might UCLA want to stick with Ty Dieffenbach? Or perhaps seek out a new quarterback in the transfer portal? Bob Chesney and the Bruins will have options with Iamaleava being quite the potential fallback option.
The former 5-star recruit added 144 more yards and one more touchdown on the ground. It’s unfortunate that Iamaleava will be forced to miss out on the rest of the exciting UCLA season, with the team losing one of their leaders and a player that stuck around following the woeful 2025 season.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: QB Nico Iamaleava plans to stick with UCLA for the 2027 season
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