Nico Iamaleava was a star quarterback at Tennessee and was going to lead the offense in 2025. However, as fate would have it, that didn’t come to be, and Josh Heupel was left with a huge gap in his blueprint after Nico Iamaleava announced his entry into the portal. The whole ordeal was quite extensive, and Nico’s reps, including his father, were blamed for the transfer. The transfer finally happened, and Nico landed at UCLA in just a few days. But he wasn’t alone there.
Like Nico, his brother, the 2026 highly sought QB, Madden Iamaleava, was also making his name in the recruiting scene. A four-star, 20th-ranked QB, nationally, teams like UCLA, Arkansas, and Tennessee were after him. But young Iamaleava finally chose UCLA and sealed his commitment. However, last year in December, Madden shockingly flipped his commitment to Arkansas alongside his high school teammate Jace Brown. However, that wasn’t the end.
Madden was doing well and good at Arkansas, but the pull of family proved stronger. Moreover, UCLA at the time still had an interest in Madden, and in a full circle, he landed back at UCLA on a transfer in April. So, after two separate transfer ordeals by Nico and Madden, both are finally together at UCLA. And guess what? They are enjoying their time.
Madden is now celebrating his enrollment at UCLA and his early graduation from Long Beach Poly High School on Friday. One of the stories Madden reposted wished him all the best for his time at UCLA and commended his parents for doing a good job with him. “I love your enthusiasm for life, my Madden! Early Enrollee! Your walk was an experience I’m glad you had. Thanks to these parents of yours for all the hard work in raising you! A job well done! Congrats Iamaleavas! We love you!”
Madden is an incredibly talented QB, and his high school career is evidence of that. For instance, in his Junior season, which was his breakout year, Madden finished with 3,626 yards and 43 touchdowns, leading his high school team to an 11-3 record. He earned the CO-Offensive Player of the year in the Gateway League and also got ALL-CIF honors. Although he didn’t play for Long Beach Poly last year, his talent still makes him one of the top QBs of this class. In his story, the acknowledgement of his parents reflects the crucial role his family has played in shaping his path, both on and off the field. But this is just one heartfelt message that Iamaleava received today; there are several others as well. And they are all incredibly heartwarming!!
Heartwarming messages pour in for Madden Iamaleava
Madden Iamaleava enrolled early with the Razorbacks for his freshman season in the spring and even completed spring practices with them. However, his transfer to UCLA wasn’t much controversial since he was clear with his intent and even informed the Arkansas staff that he wanted to be with his brother, Nico. And now that he is at UCLA, congratulatory messages are pouring in for him.
In one of the videos Madden reposted on his Instagram, he can be seen walking after his graduation ceremony in a green robe, as the person wrote, “Early grad, early enrollee, and still wanted to walk! Congratulations, Son!!” In another story, Madden can be seen with Nico celebrating the moment with UCLA decorations hanging on the wall in the background. The story read, “#TeamLA UCLA” with a Joe Bruin emoji.
Another comment simply wrote, “Congratulations,” as Madden was seen standing in the picture with his green robe and stylish sunglasses. Another story also acknowledged the heartfelt moment and simply reacted with two celebratory emojis. The picture in the story has Madden with a flower bouquet in his hands as he is beaming happily, sporting his stylish sunglasses. It seems the sky is the limit for Madden, and with his brother, Nico, beside him, we could surely see him excel greatly in the future.
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