If you follow college football and/or high school football, there’s a good chance you may have heard buzz-worthy names of certain high school players being thrown around the Internet this year. Notable names such as Arch Manning related to the famous Manning family of quarterbacks, Malachi Nelson or even Dante Moore are just few that come to mind. Another memorable football standout, who many believe should be in closer contention with Arch Manning or possibly ranked higher, is the charismatic Nico Iamaleava. The cool, calm, and collected teenager can be commonly seen at seven vs seven tournaments, donning colorful pajama pants, slick braids, and signature glasses, all the while throwing bombs deep into the endzone.
You might ask yourself just who is Nico Iamaleava, and does he live up to the massive hype surrounding the high school senior? We’ll give you all of the essential facts you need to know when it comes to the hot, young prospect Iamaleava below.
The Rise
Growing up in Long Beach, California, the five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava began making waving in the football while playing his freshman year at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He received scholarship options during his freshmen year from Hawaii, Washington State and BYU. He moved to Warren High School in Downey, California, for both his sophomore and junior year, where he played football and volleyball, excelling in both sports. As a junior, he held an impressive 33 touchdowns and threw for 2,244 yards with only one interception to his name. He led Warren High School to an 8-1 record and a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division Two playoff appearance.
The 6 foot 6, 195-pounder comes from a tightly knit family of Samoans, cultivating a strong sense of discipline, and attributing much of his warrior mindset to his bloodline. He gets a lot of his strength and grit from his mother who fought and beat cancer. Athleticism runs throughout his family tree as well as these shared values. His older brother plays volleyball for Long Beach State while his sister plays volleyball for Cypress College. Nico’s younger brother is a hot young prospect playing for Long Beach Poly, where he’s already receiving offers from multiple colleges. A national recruiting analyst, Greg Biggins said Nico is “a future captain, a natural leader with a high compete level and a great off-the-field work ethic.”
The Future
Nico Iamaleava is moving back to Long Beach Poly to play as a Jackrabbit for his senior year of high school, the same school that has produced more NFL players than any other high school in the U.S. Returning to his roots will help the high school become a nationally ranked team for the first time and his presence will bring a lot more visibility to his teammates as well. Long Beach Poly’s coach Stephen Barbee is excited to have the star-studded player back on his team. He considers Nico to be a “national talent” and “one of the best, if not the best in the nation.”
Another piece of big news is Iamaleava committing to the Tennessee Volunteers with plans to attend the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Before this major piece of news dropped, he received more than 21 offers from big schools including the University of Southern California (USC), Alabama, and Oregon. He received multiple scholarship offers for volleyball as well, being touted as one of the best players in the nation, but chose to move forward with football instead.
Rumors are flying around about the internet about Nico signing an eight-million-dollar deal contract with a sports collective to use his name, image, and likeness (NIL) to earn revenue, earning him the moniker of “NILionaire Nico.” A lot of people are speculating that the sports collective in question could be Spyre Sports who is working with current Tennessee players and has a distinct edge when it comes to cementing NIL deals. If this is true, Nico will be paid $350,000 immediately, followed by monthly payouts adding up to $2 million dollars per year.
Conclusion
Many football aficionados and coaches believe Nico Iamaleava could become someone special on the gridiron in time, especially since he possesses a strong arm, solid football IQ, and an overwhelming sense of charisma. Nico has shown flashes of brilliance on and off the field, knowing how to execute plays with precision, uncanny timing, and displays a wide-spread appeal to the masses with his charm. Even though Nico is gaining a massive amount of fame and carrying the heavy weight of superstar expectations on his shoulders, he seems to stay grounded in his sense of family and his love for the game. Some recruiters may be putting other prospects on a pedestal, but Nico has a bright future ahead of him and has the potential to become a name that buzzes much further than Tennessee once he dons the orange and white jersey as a Vol.
