LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nico Iamaleava chose to stick around for a final season at UCLA after one of his first conversations with new coach Bob Chesney.
"He was very excited to see me, I was very excited to see him,” Iamaleava said Saturday in his first public comments since Chesney's hiring in December. "We just got to chop it up about life and how the past year went.”
Chesney comes to Westwood after leading James Madison to a 12-win season and a College Football Playoff berth. The Bruins, on the other hand, went 3-9 after DeShaun Foster was fired after an 0-3 start to the season and replaced by interim coach Tim Skipper.
Iamaleava threw for 1,928 yards, with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was the Bruins' leading rusher with 505 yards, having transferred from Tennessee last April. He wasn't with the team for spring practice last year.
Now, he's getting a full spring camp under his belt and learning a new offensive playbook.
“It's a lot of stuff that we're installing,” Iamaleava said. “Last year when I got in, everything was fast forwarded for me. I went into fall camp still learning the offense. Being able to come in and get a whole spring with the guys, it’s been great bonding with them.”
The hiring of Chesney and offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, who came over from James Madison, has injected new enthusiasm into the program. Iamaleava described Chesney as “high energy and very charismatic.”
“If you’re not coming out here with the right energy and right mindset to compete, he’s going to send you home,” Iamaleava said. “He makes guys buy in and want to play for a guy like him.”
Iamaleava is focused on building his strength this spring after taking a lot of hits last year. He said he weighs 218 pounds and aims to be at 220 to 225 pounds by the Bruins' opener on Sept. 5 at California.
“It took a toll on the body,” he said. “Getting bigger was the main thing for me this offseason. When I get to the season, I’ll be able to take those hits a little easier.”
Cole Martin was one of three defensive backs to start all 12 games for the Bruins last year, his first season in Westwood after transferring from Arizona State. His 65 total tackles ranked fourth on the team.
Five practices into spring, Martin said Iamaleava is making solid reads and passes.
“He's done a great job of being that guy that we can look up to, being that guy that the QBs in his room can follow and the receivers can trust and the linemen respect,” Martin said. “He's going to keep on elevating.”
Martin said Chesney is building a culture of brotherhood.
“Coach Chesney is a whole different type of coach,” Martin said. “He wants to be out there playing with us. It makes everybody better when your head coach is just as motivated and intrigued as you are.”
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