Nico Iamaleava, 2026
Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Quarterback, UCLA (from Tennessee), 2023–⁠26

Nico Iamaleava

Number
No. 9
Height
6′5″
Weight
215 lb
Class (2026)
Junior
Hometown
Long Beach, CA

Nico Iamaleava plays quarterback for UCLA, after Tennessee (2023–⁠24). Last time out, at Oregon: 10 of 17, 162 yards, 2 INT; 7 carries, 1 yard. Iamaleava leads UCLA in passing touchdowns and passing yards this season. Since the Oregon game, the news has been about Iamaleava’s injury; his status for the next game isn’t on file.

2026 so far

982 passing yards, 4 TD

In the news: UCLA confirms Nico Iamaleava needs surgery and will miss rest of season, Yahoo Sports

Last game: 10 of 17, 162 yards, 2 INT; 7 carries, 1 yard at Oregon, W 17–⁠15; injury news since (status not on file)

Next game: vs. Michigan State, Oct 24

Game by game this season, passing yards
  1. 184@CAL
  2. 151SDSU
  3. 276PUR
  4. 209@MD
  5. 162@ORE

Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.

At a glance

Best season
2,616
Passing yards, 2024 (Tennessee, 10–⁠3)
Best game
128 yards
Vs. Penn State, week 6, 2025: No. 2 rushing game in FBS that week

Career highs

314passing yards, career highvs. Chattanooga, 20244touchdown passes, career hightwice; last at Vanderbilt, 2024128rushing yards, career highvs. Penn State, 20253rushing touchdowns, career hightwice; last vs. Penn State, 2025

Passing

Passing yards, season by season, with his team’s record

* The season in progress, so far.

SeasonTeamCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDInt
2023Tennessee284562.23147.020
2024Tennessee21333463.82,6167.8195
2025UCLA20832364.41,9286.0137
2026UCLA7211662.19828.544
Career52181863.75,8407.13816

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2023Tennessee20713.5325
2024Tennessee1093643.3331
2025UCLA1125054.5452
2026UCLA421443.4132
Career2831,0843.81152

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2023Tennessee9QBYr 1
2024Tennessee9QBYr 2
2025UCLA9QBYr 3
2026UCLA9QBJr. (Yr 4)6′5″215

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. passAdj. rush
2023Tennessee640.30––19.218%0.32–
2024Tennessee4380.2737th (n=238)0.30119.246%0.360.20
2025UCLA4320.2139th (n=314)0.2491.763%0.190.38
2026UCLA1540.0723rd (n=273)0.2111.346%0.150.11

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Passing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessDepthAfter catchDeep throwsDeep completed
2025UCLA42%7.1 yds4.2 yds11 of 11418%
2026UCLA42%9.0 yds6.2 yds19 of 11253%

Success: passes that kept the offense on schedule. Depth: how far downfield his passes traveled in the air, on average. After catch: yards his receivers gained after the catch, per completion. Deep throws: the play-by-play gives depth and direction for about half of a passer’s throws; this is how many of those went deep, and how many of the deep ones were caught. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Rushing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessLine yardsSecond levelOpen fieldStuffed
2025UCLA59%4.002.002.5015%
2026UCLA46%3.101.401.3015%

Where his yards came from, per carry: line yards are the ones credited to the blockers (the first few, and losses), second level the yards 5 to 10 past the line, open field those beyond 10. Success: carries that kept the offense on schedule. Stuffed: carries stopped at or behind the line. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Game by game

2026 UCLA 5 games, 982 passing yards, 4 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 5atCaliforniaW 45–⁠2414221840129
Sep 12vs.San Diego StateW 28–⁠1014221510157
Sep 19vs.PurdueW 52–⁠3819312763055
Sep 26atMarylandW 54–⁠31524209102
Oct 10atOregonW 17–⁠151017162021
2025 UCLA 11 games, 1,928 passing yards, 13 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 30vs.UtahL 10–⁠4311221361147
Sep 6atUNLVL 23–⁠3029412551159
Sep 12vs.New MexicoL 10–⁠3522342171133
Sep 27atNorthwesternL 14–⁠1719271801065
Oct 4vs.Penn StateW 42–⁠37172416620128
Oct 11atMichigan StateW 38–⁠131624180303
Oct 18vs.MarylandW 20–⁠1721352211225
Oct 25atIndianaL 6–⁠5613271130228
Nov 8vs.NebraskaL 21–⁠2817251912086
Nov 22vs.WashingtonL 14–⁠481626690016
Nov 29atUSCL 10–⁠2927382001015
2024 Tennessee 13 games, 2,616 passing yards, 19 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 31vs.ChattanoogaW 69–⁠32228314306
Sep 7vs.NC StateW 51–⁠1016232112265
Sep 14vs.Kent StateW 71–⁠010161731031
Sep 21atOklahomaW 25–⁠1513211941015
Oct 5atArkansasL 14–⁠1917291580017
Oct 12vs.FloridaW 23–⁠171626169011
Oct 19vs.AlabamaW 24–⁠1714271941144
Nov 2vs.KentuckyW 28–⁠1828382921014
Nov 9vs.Mississippi StateW 33–⁠148131742022
Nov 16atGeorgiaL 17–⁠3120331670024
Nov 23vs.UTEPW 56–⁠017232094036
Nov 30atVanderbiltW 36–⁠2318262574142
Dec 21 ✦atOhio StateL 17–⁠4214311040047
2023 Tennessee 5 games, 314 passing yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Sep 2vs.VirginiaW 49–⁠132311008
Sep 23vs.UTSAW 45–⁠1402000−4
Nov 4vs.UConnW 59–⁠359861025
Nov 25vs.VanderbiltW 48–⁠24912660015
Jan 1 ✦vs.IowaW 35–⁠012191511027

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

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