UCLA’s thrilling upset victory over Oregon on Saturday came at a steep price.
The Bruins announced on Monday that quarterback Nico Iamaleava is expected to miss the remainder of the season after taking a punch from Oregon defender Bear Alexander.
Alexander’s punch, ostensibly meant to knock the ball free, instead caught the quarterback in the neck and jaw and left him immobile on the ground.
Bruins backup Ty Dieffenbach replaced Iamaleava and guided UCLA to the win.
“When someone goes down, and someone has to step up, I say it every single time… you’re either exposed, or you’re revealed,” UCLA head coach Bob Chesney said postgame. “One of the two is going to happen when your number gets called. For Ty to step up in that moment when Nico couldn’t go, he put himself in a spot where he was revealed for knowing the run game and getting us into the touchdown pass.”
Still, the injury has big consequences. While the exact terms of Iamaleava’s NIL deal with UCLA remain unknown, it is presumed to be at least close to the $2.4 million Tennessee offered him to stay in early 2025.
In addition, the Bruins jumped from 21 to 12 after Saturday’s win, an improvement they had hoped to build on. That will be increasingly difficult now without their starting quarterback.