USA Today says UCLA's Nico Iamaleava must redeem transfer portal journey after Tennessee misstep

The UCLA Bruins have had about as bad a start to the season as anyone could imagine. They've lost all of their games so far and are now without a head coach. This situation has raised serious concerns that players may hit the transfer portal immediately after the firing of DeShaun Foster, potentially triggering a mass exodus.

“The timing of the firing is a surprise, as the Bruins have only played three games this season. If UCLA had played four games, most of their players wouldn't be able to redshirt, but given that they've only played three games, we could see a mass exodus making a terrible product even worse,” Saturday Blitz’s Nicholas Rome wrote.

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was expected to be the team’s saving grace, but at best, he has looked like a mediocre option. He came to UCLA with aspirations of being one-and-done, but now he may look to rewrite his story through the transfer portal.

“Transferring again would allow Iamaleava to correct what he got wrong last time. For starters, get a deal done in the winter, and not the spring. If Iamaleava had taken care of his business last December, rather than dragging out his situation at Tennessee into April, he would’ve had better options than UCLA,” USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer wrote.

The entire situation in Knoxville didn’t reflect well on Iamaleava, but his camp believes Tennessee was responsible for a damaging leak.

“Still, both sides were expected to remain together in 2025 until a report emerged publicly that Iamaleava was considering exploring the portal. Iamaleava's camp was furious; it believed Tennessee leaked the story to influence the public perception against a quarterback already flush with money. The Vols were frustrated the issue continued to pop up,” CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer and John Talty wrote.

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With the season falling apart, it's now up to Iamaleava to get back into the portal and try to save his career. He already faces negative perception from analysts, coaches, and players alike. If he wants any chance of making it to the pros—or even just changing the narrative—he’ll need to handle things the right way this winter.