UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava has re-signed with the Bruins for the 2026 season, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. Iamaleava’s first year with the Bruins saw him finish with 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

Iamaleava made a lot of noise this past offseason after transferring to UCLA after a College Football Playoff run at Tennessee. The two parties were unable to agree on a deal, and Iamaleava left for the portal.

This time around, Iamaleava is staying put after agreeing to a new deal with UCLA. Now, the Bruins can focus on building their roster around their QB1.

Iamaleava will look to get back to the production he had while he was with the Vols. In 2025 with UCLA, he threw nine less passes than he did in 2024 but finished the year with nearly 700 less passing yards, six less touchdowns and two more interceptions. While at Tennessee in 2024, he threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Before college, Iamaleava was a former five-star recruit in the 2023 class, per the Rivals Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 6 overall player in the class and No. 1 player from California.

UCLA finished 2025 with a 3-9 record in Iamaleava’s first season with the Bruins. They began the year with an 0-4 record before beating a then top-10 Penn State team 42-37 in Pasadena. UCLA would go on to win its next two games before losing the final five games of the season.

The Bruins fired DeShaun Foster after three games in 2025, 15 games into his tenure. They’ve since hired Bob Chesney away from James Madison to take over the head coaching position. Chesney led JMU to a 12-2 record in 2025 including a Sun Belt Championship and appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Now, Iamaleava and Chensey will team up at UCLA in 2026 in an attempt to turn the Bruins program around. UCLA has been to a bowl game in just two of last eight seasons and hasn’t enjoyed a 10-win season since 2014. Chensey is keen on changing the narrative in short order.

“I think, for me, the energy is right, and the time and the moment is right,” Chesney said earlier this month during his introductory press conference. “Those are things that I think are pretty important.”