UCLA is making strides to recruit transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee, but long-time Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke is urging the university to think twice about the decision. In a recent appearance on ESPN’s Around the Horn, Plaschke labeled Iamaleava — who departed Knoxville amid NIL disputes — as “toxic” and implored Bruins leadership to refrain from acquiring him.
LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke on reports that Nico Iamaleava is headed to UCLA:
“Don’t do it. Don’t take him. This kid is toxic.” pic.twitter.com/NS8sSOCFVR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 17, 2025
Plaschke criticized the trend of college athletes prioritizing financial gain, emphasizing issues of commitment and character. However, he overlooked a critical detail: reports indicate that Iamaleava will actually be taking an NIL pay cut to join UCLA, closer to his hometown of Long Beach. He was reportedly earning around $2.5 million annually from Tennessee’s NIL collective and sought a raise to $4 million, but at UCLA, his deal won’t approach the amount he sought from Tennessee, as noted by ESPN’s Chris Low.
This suggests that Iamaleava may have been genuinely dissatisfied with how the Volunteers program handled business. While Plaschke asserted his right to criticize college athletes, he was reminded by ATH host Tony Reali that many, including esteemed commentators like Paul Finebaum, have also been critical of Iamaleava throughout the week.
Though Plaschke may ultimately prove correct in his assessment of Iamaleava as selfish and predicting a disappointing stint at UCLA, current evidence suggests that unless other teams were offering him amounts close to $2.4 million, his choice to join UCLA was not purely driven by financial motives.
