On Monday, Nico Iamaleava officially re-signed with the UCLA Bruins and a day later, his backup, Luke Duncan announced he was headed to the transfer portal. On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos announced Duncan’s entry to the portal on Tuesday.
Luke Duncan was a longtime Bruin though he seldom got on the field
Duncan has spent three seasons with the Bruins, after not appearing in the 2023 or 2024 seasons, Duncan made his first collegiate start this year against Ohio State. The results weren’t disastrous but they weren’t good either, with Duncan going 16-23 for 154 yards and a touchdown.
UCLA didn’t throw Duncan to the wolves against Ohio State
UCLA’s offensive playcaller Jerry Neuheisel clearly kept the training wheels on for Duncan, as UCLA didn’t challenge the Buckeyes down the field, and attempted to hit short passes while facing one of the best defenses in the country.
Duncan got some game action in 2025
In total, Duncan appeared in three games for UCLA, coming to replace Nico Iamaleava in the Michigan State and Washington games. With Iamaleava remaining with the Bruins, it’s a good bet that his younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, will stay with the program as well. The two Iamaleava’s plus whichever quarterbacks new head coach Bob Chesney and his staff brings over, you can’t blame Duncan for looking for a less crowded QB room.
The California product looks the part at QB
Duncan was a three star recruit in the 2023 UCLA recruiting class, coming to the Bruins from Miramonte High School in the Bay Area. Duncan possesses the ideal size for a quarterback, standing at 6’6” and weighing 220 lbs.
We never saw Duncan’s true capabilities with the Bruins
In his limited action on the field, UCLA never really showed off Duncan’s arm but perhaps at his next stop, we’ll get a better idea of what Duncan’s truly capable of.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: With Nico Iamaleava staying at UCLA, backup Luke Duncan hits portal
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
