UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava is entering his fourth year in college, and he’ll be playing for his fourth different head coach (including UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper last season).

Iamaleava, who spent the first two seasons of his career with the Tennessee Vols before landing at UCLA, will play for head coach Bob Chesney this fall.

The former five-star recruit re-signed with UCLA two weeks after Chesney was hired.

Bob Chesney drops strong quote on Nico Iamaleava

Chesney said all the things you’d expect a head coach to say about his starting quarterback in January.

But how does Chesney feel about Iamaleava now that he’s been around the former Vol for a few months?

The new UCLA head coach told On3 this week that he’s been impressed with Iamaleava’s leadership.

“What he does on the field speaks for itself,” said Chesney. “He was under quite a bit of duress last year. He had some weapons, not a ton, and really found himself in a spot where he had to create a lot of things after the play with his legs. He did a decent job of that as the year went on, and he took some hits, he got himself back up and went right back in that game. 

“What’s impressed me in my short period of time here is that at the beginning, it was a feeling-out stage of exactly who can I trust? I’ve watched him move to the front of the line now and just command a room and hold people accountable. Things that all great quarterbacks and leaders do. I’m extremely, extremely impressed with him as a young man. I’m just really looking forward to what he’s going to do when we finally get to spring ball, and he has a chance to let it rip.”

Iamaleava’s college journey has certainly been unique. He looked like he was on the path to stardom at Tennessee after going to the College Football Playoff as a redshirt freshman.

But the relationship between Iamaleava and Tennessee fell apart last spring, which led to the California native landing in a not-so-great situation at UCLA under then head coach DeShaun Foster.

Iamaleava, for the third straight season, will be learning a new offense — something that’s not usually a recipe for success. But who knows, maybe this will be the system that Iamaleava thrives in.

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