Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava inadvertently revealed his plans for after the 2026 college football season.

Iamaleava, who is entering his second season with UCLA after transferring from Tennessee a year ago, met with the media following the Bruins’ spring game this past weekend.

While speaking with reporters, Iamaleava referenced his “last spring game”.

“It was fun,” said Iamaleava. “My last spring game, so tried to go out there and enjoy it with the guys. But it was good to display what we’ve been working on the last four months.”

Iamaleava has two seasons of eligibility remaining after redshirting as a true freshman at Tennessee in 2023, but it sounds like he’s planning to head to the NFL after the 2026 season.

The NFL views Nico Iamaleava differently than fans

Iamaleava hasn’t put up gaudy numbers in college, but he’s still an elite talent with a ton of upside. He’s also 6-foot-6 and can move extremely well. As a result, the former Vol is expected to be heavily on NFL teams’ radars this fall.

Longtime NFL draft analyst Todd McShay, in fact, says the view of Iamaleava among NFL teams is much different than the public perception.

“Nico Iamaleava from UCLA,” said McShay while pointing out potential quarterbacks who could be drafted in 2027. “I get it — the Tennessee debacle, he transfers, all the problems, the money, this and that. And last year, [he] was up and down. I promise you, teams are keeping a close [eye on Iamaleava]. I told you this in October last year, the NFL’s view of Iamaleava is different than the public perception.”

Iamaleava’s lifelong dream has obviously been to get to the NFL. If he has a solid 2026 season, that dream should become a reality in a year.