Report: Madden Iamaleava plans to transfer to UCLA to join brother, Nico

Madden Iamaleava has told Arkansas staff that he plans to join his older brother, Nico, at UCLA, according to ESPN’s Chris Low. Both quarterbacks are transferring in from the SEC.

Madden Iamaleava was set to begin his college football career at Arkansas, but on Monday it was reported that he planned to enter the NCAA transfer portal. It took only a few hours for the report of his transfer to UCLA to hit social media.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman spoke to the progression he’s seen in Madden Iamaleava during the spring slate. He says that Iamaleava has come along well, especially since he didn’t participate in high school football last fall, with them expecting that to continue into this next season for the Razorbacks.

He’s done really well, especially coming off his – you know, he didn’t play his senior year,” said Pittman. “Very mature. Well-coached out of high school. And, but, yeah, I think he’s made a ton of improvement and I think you’ll see that throughout the rest of the spring and then, you know, the summer and, and fall camp.”

It’s not going to be the first time he’s committed to the Bruins. In fact, he flipped to the Razorbacks from UCLA in December. However, following the news that his older brother reportedly is making the same move, the two Iamaleava brothers will be reuinted in LA.

Nico Iamaleava entered the portal after reported disputes over NIL earnings, and has since reportedly committed to UCLA. It remains to be seen if his brother follows suit by moving back to his home state, or if Madden Iamaleava is simply looking to find the right fit for him under center.

Before college, Madden Iamaleava was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, per the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 377 overall recruit in the 2025 recruiting class, as well as the No. 24 player at his position.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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