Nico Iamaleava is the constant headline lately—though for all the wrong reasons. That failed NIL negotiation with Tennessee that went viral. The skipped practice. The portal jump. The UCLA transfer rumors. It’s been a heck of a ride for the former Vols QB. But whether or not he got what he was looking for, as far as money is concerned, one thing is clear. After all the back and forth, the NIL chaos, and his dad scorching social media, the 5-star QB from Long Beach is headed back home. Nico Iamaleava is now officially a Bruin. But it’s his younger brother’s reaction that’s stealing headlines too. 

In his Instagram story on April 20, Madden Iamaleava shared Nico Iamaleava’s social post of him rocking the UCLA jersey under the palms and blue skies. And he just dropped a one-word message — and an emoticon that read “🆗.” That’s it. That’s the message. And coming from a younger bro who flipped from UCLA to Arkansas a few months back? That’s not just a passive reaction. That’s a mic-drop laced with regret and frustration.

Let’s rewind a bit. Madden Iamaleava, a 4-star QB and ESPN’s No. 8 pocket passer in the 2025 class, was UCLA’s top acquisition in DeShaun Foster’s first recruiting cycle. But he bailed and chose Arkansas over the Bruins in December. And he didn’t jump ship alone. His high school WR teammate Jace Brown also followed him to Fayetteville. It was a double blow for UCLA, which went from building a SoCal pipeline to watching it sizzle out in real time. 

And now, Nico Iamaleava’s walking into that gap Madden left behind. Full circle, right? But wait. Maybe it’s not even about football anymore. Maybe it’s about damage control? This is less of a power move and more of a retreat home. Sure, he’s a Long Beach native, but this doesn’t feel like a triumphant homecoming. It feels rushed and forced. Pete Nakos cleared the curiosity in the air, saying, “In terms of how much money he’s going to get, it’s going to be far less than the $4 million he wanted from Tennessee.” And honestly, it feels like fallout from what went down with his dad.

Nico Iamaleava’s dad’s self-defense 

Let’s not forget that this whole Nico Iamaleava negotiation saga went nuclear when the dad, Nic Iamaleava, blasted Pete Nakos on social media. Tennessee reportedly offered $2.4M for Nico, but it’s $4M and no less for the family. Nic even spit the “B—- Nakos” label and posted on X — “More games are being played off the field than on the field… I told him I had no idea what he was talking about.” But the journalist stood by his reporting. 

“(Nic) just kept telling me that I knew more than he did, but didn’t really want and decline it,” Nakos told Crain and Company. And then there’s no apology or any sort of communication for that matter, as he added — “There’s been no contact. I have tried to call him multiple times, though, to try to be like: Is Nico going to the transfer portal? Is Nico going to UCLA? Because you would know best, but no contact there.”

A messy episode for Nico Iamaleava, no doubt. But let the past remain in the past. At least the 20-year-old can rebuild his reputation at UCLA, for he’s got a whole future ahead of him. And the upcoming season is going to set the foundation.