Nico Iamaleava will be debuting in the iconic Rose Bowl stadium as a Bruin after 3-ish months. His career, so far, proves that he can make waves in college football, just not in an area you want to make an impression. Even after Iamaleava bids college football goodbye, it will be tough to dodge the topic of his very dramatic transfer. Iamaleava thought UCLA was his best option to build the rest of his career. But will he truly be able to show his full potential in his new colors?The main difference between Iamaleava’s odds in Tennessee and UCLA is certainty. In Tennessee, a plan was already long underway for the QB to develop more at his position. The transfer turned over plans for both Josh Heupel and DeShaun Foster. At UCLA, a lot of question marks surround Iamaleava’s future. He hasn’t spent much time in Westwood to give experts an idea of how in sync Iamaleava is with his new environment. This season will once again be a litmus test for the QB. It wasn’t supposed to be, but his transfer shakes things up for both Iamaleava and UCLA.Analysts Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic fear that maybe this new pairing will backfire on Iamaleava’s career. “Maybe some of how he didn’t operate to his highest ability last year and how the departure took place, Greg, I think that has stripped away a little bit of the ceiling of the ability of this young man and what he actually has a chance to be, just from a player perspective,” Cubelic said in a June 16 episode of the McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning show.Iamaleava built a name for himself in his very first season for Tennessee. He did set off some fireworks with his 2,616 yards, but he needed some fine-tuning to unleash his full range of skills this year.Sep 14, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) looks to pass the ball against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn ImagesMcElroy, however, thinks he has a long way to go to prove that he is the star everyone claims him to be. “Nico’s got a ton of talent. No one has ever doubted his talent. I do think he had a pretty good situation last year, and I do think, at times, he was remarkably average under the circumstances… Just because you have an elite skill set doesn’t mean you’re an elite player. That’s a big difference there. He has an elite skill set, but he’s not yet anywhere close to becoming an elite player,” the analyst added further.Nico Iamaleava had some stellar performances last year, like the Vanderbilt game. However, he also had some low points, such as his matchup against Florida. Iamaleava has an arm and very good mobility. College Football Network mentions that Iamaleava’s rush EPA per attempt was 0.3, which was one of the best among the QBs returning in 2025. But he also struggles when the pocket collapses. Moreover, his pass efficiency rating of 145.34 is the lowest for a Vols starter since Josh Heupel took control. The majority opinion about the QB’s 2024 season is that he excelled but did not reach his ceiling.Nico Iamaleava went from being a player with a secure future to one who has some serious uncertainty ahead of him. He’s set to impact UCLA football on a high note, but are the Bruins gearing up readily to support their new QB?UCLA’s offense woes can affect Nico Iamaleava’s debutDeShaun Foster struggled in his first season. The Bruins’ offense, in particular, sputtered violently throughout the season, struggling to keep their quarterback protected. 34 sacks were tallied up for the Bruins’ offense last year. That number ended up getting UCLA ranked 114th out of 134 in sacks per game. That is the background with which Nico Iamaelava will be starting his UCLA career. That O-line looked faulty from day one. Even the additions of Reuben Unije and Alani Makihele couldn’t do a lot.Locked On UCLA’s Brian Smith said in a May 26 video, “The elite programs recruit elite offensive linemen out of high school ranks and that’s pretty much it… But UCLA has recruited O-line so poorly, especially in their own backyard, probably long before DeShaun got there to Westwood, they’re behind the eight ball.”The offense has undergone some changes, with new OC Tino Sunseri making his tweaks to the machine. O-linemen Courtland Ford, BJ Brooks, and KD Arnold should bring about some change in the offense this year. Tino Sunseri specialized in a QB-friendly offense at Indiana. And UCLA needs that same strategy, now that they have Nico Iamaleava in that position.“This kid’s still has a ton of God-given ability… there’s a lot to like with what Nico Iamaleava could end up being as a college quarterback,” Cubelic said. What Iamaleava has to do this year, without fail, is to hit that ceiling. He’s an experienced QB, but is yet to enter the exclusive league of elite QBs. To do that, he has to light up the field as UCLA’s QB1 and DeShaun Foster has to back him up.The post Nico Iamaleava Gets Major Warning in Greg McElroy’s Tough Reality Check Over UCLA Future appeared first on EssentiallySports.