Five months ago, UCLA head coach Bob Chesney led his former school, James Madison, onto the field in the College Football Playoff against Oregon. When the Ducks dispatched the Dukes, Chesney headed to Westwood to run the Bruins’ program. More importantly, he needed to start installing the offense around quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The coach opened up about what impression the passer made on him.
UCLA HC Bob Chesney Praises QB Nico Iamaleava After Strong Spring Camp
The Bruins will install a new offense, with Iamaleava at the helm, using spring practices to start the process. Chesney effusively praised his signal caller. The Athletic’s Ira Gorawara details the quote.
Bob Chesney on Nico Iamaleava (from yesterday): “There’s nobody that spends more time in the meeting room right now than him. There’s nobody that spends more time on film than him. There’s nobody that spends more time trying to be the best leader he can for this team than him.” pic.twitter.com/TpowCIWJk7
— Ira Gorawara (@IraGorawara) April 8, 2026
“Bob Chesney on Nico Iamaleava (from yesterday): “There’s nobody that spends more time in the meeting room right now than him. There’s nobody that spends more time on film than him. There’s nobody that spends more time trying to be the best leader he can for this team than him.”
According to CFB Depth, UCLA will run a variation of the spread with a slower pace but still use a balanced approach. Moreover, Iamaleava will need to build chemistry with at least a half-dozen transfer wideouts.
Yet, he does possess a holdover talent from last season. Running back Jaivian Thomas returns to the fold, looking to fight for the starting spot. JMU transfer Wayne Knight, who accounted for 1,770 yards from scrimmage and ten touchdowns, looks to be his main competition.
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Chesney is Iamaleava’s fourth coach in the last three seasons. Initially, he started his college journey at Tennessee under Josh Heupel. After an argument over a financial issue, he jumped into the portal and landed at UCLA, which is not far from his hometown of Long Beach.
The Bruins fired head coach Deshaun Foster after starting the season 0-3, naming Tim Skipper the interim head coach. When the season ended, the administration hired Chesney, a coach with a 21-6 career record.
As a defensive-minded coach, Chesney will entrust Iamaleava to Dean Kennedy. Kennedy served as Chesney’s offensive coordinator at both Holy Cross and James Madison before heading west.
Last season, while the Bruins finished 3-9, Iamaleava enjoyed a couple of big-game performances. For instance, he accounted for five touchdowns and 394 combined yards in an upset of Penn State. Iamaleava held down the No. 75 spot in the PFSN CFB QB Impact Rankings.
Chesney’s offenses are predicated on dual-threat quarterbacks threatening defenses with the pass and the run. For example, Alonza Barnett III, his quarterback at JMU, threw for 49 touchdowns and ran for 22 under his watch.
Iamaleava will get another chance to continue to impress the new coaching staff. On September 5, the Bruins travel to Berkeley to renew hostilities with former Pac-12 rival California.
