The mystery surrounding UCLA’s fall camp didn’t take long to clear up. Everybody wanted to know: was Nico Iamaleava really built for Hollywood, or was this just another transfer portal mirage after a nasty breakup in Knoxville? On Monday, DeShaun Foster didn’t just answer the question—he doubled down on his new quarterback, sending a message that the Bruins have a new leader walking into the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.

The Nico story has been wild from the jump. The former 5-star wasn’t supposed to be wearing powder blue at all. After a breakout 2024 at Tennessee—2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only 5 picks, plus a Citrus Bowl MVP—he was sitting pretty in SEC country. Back in April, Iamaleava shook the college football world by transferring from Tennessee to UCLA. On paper, it looked

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