Lamaleava Saga Grows Tiresome
Everyday, it’s something new with this guy.
Who, you ask?
Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, apparently bound for that powerhouse UCLA, that’s who. Every day, the reasons and rationalizations for his departure are more and more comical.
Iamaleava’s father, Nic, said it was never about the money. Really? Hmm, then I guess that’s why Nico held out for $4 million instead of being satisfied with the $2.4 million he was set to make this year. There are some NFL quarterbacks that don’t make that kind of scratch in three years, even Super Bowl quarterbacks.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy guided the Niners to an overtime Super Bowl loss against Kansas City and he only makes $985,000 a year. Let that marinate for a second. And Nico wanted $4 million to underachieve?
So an average college quarterback is going to get a fourth of what he sought, perhaps less, when he held out. And he’ll have to pay 16-percent state income tax on that as well as federal taxes (oh, by the way, Tennessee has no state income tax).
Brilliant!
By the way, what Iamaleava is set to “earn” next year, whatever that figure is, is 20 times more than most people will earn in 10 years.
Then, the Iamaleava camp said it was about Tennessee’s proven (yes, proven) offensive system. It wasn’t geared for Iamaleava’s game, such as it was. If Iamaleava had a game that was better than average, he’d have thrived. As paltry as his performances were on the big stage, the Vols still averaged 30 points per game, down from a miserable 40 points per game in 2023.
What a miserable, inefficient offense.
But Nico was as accurate as Stevie Wonder at a shooting range. The short and intermediate routes were okay and, thanks to the receivers, many of them were able to turn those short catches into large gains. On the deep passes, he was as accurate as Angel Reese shooting a layup.
Also, Iamaleava was an alleged dual threat. He didn’t impress me as a quarterback who could break tackles and consistently gain big yards with his feet. I just had a hip replacement and believe I was nearly as mobile.
So, the offense wasn’t good enough, huh? So, he’s going to go to UCLA, which doesn’t have nearly the same caliber athlete around him and an offense that was 118th in the nation last year, coached by an offensive coordinator who’s never held such a highly demanding position.
Really?
And he’s going to have to settle for far less money than he was holding out for just about 10 days ago at a school who was jilted by high school quarterback Madden Iamaleava, Nico’s brother. Madden committed to UCLA but opted for Arkansas at the last minute.
Given the volatility of the Iamaleava brand, I wonder what UCLA is thinking. Honestly, I’m surprised they are taking this leap of faith. To me, that suggests just how desperate the Bruins are for anybody to run this vapid offense. UCLA is taking a big risk here.
Maybe Nico could take UCLA to a new level…like 119th in the nation.
So, if it all comes together, and as of this writing, nothing is set in stone, Nico is going to play for a program with a tepid (at best) offense with athletes who aren’t of the same caliber as the kind Tennessee presented, in a Big 10 Conference with the reigning national champion. Also, the UCLA fan base is too busy at the marijuana dispensaries or roller skating on the Santa Monica Pier to care about UCLA football. To be honest, UCLA, while once a vibrant football product, has always been a basketball school, thanks to John Wooden.
Just look at Los Angeles. It has the Dodgers, Angels, Kings, Rams, Chargers (for now) and Clippers. As good as the Dodgers have been lately, L.A. always will be a basketball town. Also, keep in mind that the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (30 miles northwest from the UCLA campus and a 45-minute drive on good traffic days, oh by the way) holds 103,000 folks, but the Bruins averaged 46,800 in home attendance last season. Keep in mind that UCLA fans, as John Ward said after the Vols beat the No. 6-ranked and homestanding Bruins in 1989 24-6, “that UCLA fans weren’t that into it, really.”
During a UCLA Saturday home game, the place is like a public library.
FYI, Tennessee drew 101,915 per game last year. Bear in mind Chattanooga, Kent State and Texas-El Paso were on the home docket last year, too.
Nico may be closer to home, but he’ll experience a culture shock with a fan base whose biggest concern on any particular day is when the surf’s up.
UCLA is playing with fire and may get burned twice by quarterbacks with the last name Iamaleava. But who knows? This may just work out for all involved. Nico may find his gear at UCLA and lead the Bruins to prominence against the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Southern Cal, et. al.
Being honest, I’m betting that Stevie Wonder will have better success on the shooting range.
Jim Steele is a correspondent for Richardson Media Group and may be reached via email at pressbox1@gmail.com.
