How many wins does a good college quarterback truly bring to a team? That question was presented on the CBS Sports college football social media page, with pundits debating just how impactful new UCLA football starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava will be for the Bruins in 2025.
“This has been coming up for awhile and it’s continued even recently, based on what he’s continued to look like,” CBS reporter Matt Zenitz said of Iamaleava. “Tennessee’s going to have some regrets when they see what Nico does.”
Zenitz is under the belief that Iamaleava seriously raises the floor of the UCLA squad. While the Bruins may not contend with the best programs in the nation, they’ll be vastly improved from last year and will be able to pick up a few more victories. Zenitz wasn’t alone in sharing rave reviews of Iamaleava.
“I have talked to multiple people in college football at UCLA and outside of UCLA that say Nico is worth two or three wins. At least,” 247 Sports college football writer Chris Hummer said. “Compared to what they had last year, he’s that significant of an upgrade at QB for them.”
UCLA would be happy with a three win improvement from last year’s 5-7 showing under DeShaun Foster, but we’ll see if new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri can help unlock Iamaleava after a good, not great, season at Tennessee.
Even with positive reports coming out of training camp for Iamaleava, not quite everyone is sold.
“There’s a lot of games that are winnable unless you are a team that can’t win them,” CBS Sports writer Shehan Jeyarajah said of the Bruins’ schedule. “If you’re an average team, then a whole lot of winnable games aren’t as winnable.”
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Could new UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava be worth three wins this season?
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
