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By Reice Shipley
Contributing Sports Writer
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UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava will unfortunately not get the chance to finish the solid season he started after suffering a season-ending injury earlier this month against Oregon. However, on Thursday, Iamaleava made his intentions for the future quite clear, while including the UCLA program.
Iamaleava seemed to have settled in nicely with the Bruins program and first-year head coach Bob Chesney, helping the program get out to a 4-0 start to the year before suffering a torn ACL in the first half of their Week 6 win over Oregon.
UCLA will look to keep their undefeated record alive in Iamaleava's absence for the rest of the season. But moving forward, Iamaleava seems to intend to return to the UCLA program next season.
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According to CBS Sports College Football insider Matt Zenitz, Iamaleava has indicated to the Bruins that he plans to return to UCLA next season instead of potentially trying his hand at entering the 2027 NFL Draft.
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The decision to return back to college for Iamaleava is a fairly obvious one. Not only would NFL scouts be taking a significant risk potentially drafting a quarterback coming off a torn ACL injury. But it would also allow for Iamaleava to produce more film for scouts for the 2028 NFL Draft.
As for why UCLA may be interested in bringing Iamaleava back next season as their starter, the proof is in the pudding in regards to how efficient they have looked offensively with him under center this year.
Notably, UCLA maintained an average of 39.2 points per game in games that Iamaleava has started this year, while they average just 22.5 points per game with Ty Dieffenbach under center in his absence.
Whether Iamaleava does end up starting for UCLA next season or not, the Bruins obviously have much more pressing issues ahead of them pertaining to their perfect season at the moment.
UCLA will look to carry their momentum into a Week 9 matchup against the Nevada Wolf Pack.
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