The UCLA Bruins star quarterback Nico Iamaleava was named to the 2026 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watch list on Thursday, according to the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
The Long Beach, Calif. native was one of seven quarterbacks of the 69-players named to the watch list. Iamaleava was nominated for the award watch list last season and according to the Bruins’ press release, he was a finalist for the the award in 2024 and was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player as a high school senior in the 2023 Polynesian Bowl.
The last quarterback to win the award was Taulia Tagovailoa for the Maryland Terrapins in 2023, which happened to be the most recent time a UCLA Bruin won the award. Laiatu Latu won the College Defensive Player of the Year Award from the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame that same year with 49 solo tackles, 13 sacks, two-forced fumbles, interceptions and passed defended, according to the organization’s page on Latu’s award.
Last season the Bruins star was the engine of UCLA’s offense as he recorded a 64 percent completion percentage for 4,858 yards and 34 touchdowns while using his legs to add another 934 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. This time he has multiple weapons on the roster and a winning head coach in Bob Chesney to help him.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Bruins quarterback named to preseason award watch list
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
