Nico Iamaleava has one of the strongest arms in college football, and his scouting report looks at how well his skill set might translate to the next level.
Nico Iamaleava Scouting Report
Measurables:
Height- 6’6″
Weight- 215 lbs
Background:
Iamaleava attended Warren High School, where he was one of the top-ranked recruits in the entire country. He was a five-star recruit and ranked the No. 2 overall recruit in the class of 2023 behind only Arch Manning. Iamaleava committed to Tennessee and spent his first season with the team as the backup quarterback, and made his first career start in the Citrus Bowl, helping lead his team to a 35-0 victory over Iowa.
Iamaleava became the team’s full-time starter in 2024, where he threw for 19 touchdowns, helping lead Tennessee to a 10-2 regular season record and the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. He won SEC Freshman of the Week four times during the season. After a successful first year as a full-time starter, Iamaleava entered the transfer portal, where he was the No. 1-ranked transfer in the country according to 247Sports, and committed to UCLA. Iamaleava started 11 games in his first season with the Bruins.
Strengths:
Iamaleava is a quarterback with elite size for the position at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds. He has amazing arm strength and overall arm talent with the ability to drive the ball into tight windows, and the ability to consistently throw the ball with consistently great velocity on deep ball pass attempts. Iamaleava has a quick release, and he shows the ability to attack the middle of the field.
Iamaleava also has great athletic ability for the position. He is a mobile quarterback with good scrambling ability, and has had strong rushing production in both of his seasons as a full-time starter. Iamaleava had 358 rushing yards in 2024 and ran for 505 yards and four touchdowns during the 2025 season. Iamaleava can consistently make plays outside of the pocket as a passer as well.
Weaknesses:
Iamaleava needs to improve his field vision and ability to read the defense. He can hold on to the ball for too long and stare down reads at times. Iamaleava takes too many unnecessary sacks and needs to do a better job at getting rid of the ball quicker. He has inconsistent accuracy and touch as a passer as well.
Iamaleava currently lacks great timing and anticipation as a passer. While he has the arm talent to throw anywhere on the field, his accuracy on downfield pass attempts is inconsistent. Iamaleava’s production took a drop during the 2025 season as well in his first season with UCLA. He averaged 1.8 fewer yards per pass attempt and went from 19 passing touchdowns and five interceptions on the season to just 13 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2025.
Nico Iamaleava Scouting Report Overview:
Iamaleava is a high upside prospect who is a former elite five-star recruit with prototypical size for the position and elite arm strength. He shows flashes of being a great NFL Draft prospect and had some very strong performances last season against both Michigan State and Penn State, but overall, it was an inconsistent 2025 season with a drop in production compared to the 2024 season.
He needs to improve his ability to read the defense and limit the amount of unnecessary sacks he takes while also continuing to grow as a passer with improved accuracy, timing, and anticipation. Iamaleava is currently a late-round level quarterback prospect, but with his arm talent, athleticism, and mobility, Iamaleava has the potential to become an early-round draft pick with a strong 2026 season.
