It's officially official.

Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava has announced his commitment to UCLA in an Instagram post that the football team's page also posted to its account.

In the post, Iamaleava wrote a message for Vol fans and the Knoxville community. Here's what he said.

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In Iamaleava's post, he began by giving thanks to Jesus Christ. Fittingly, his post was made on Easter Sunday.

"First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His grace, for continuing to bless my family and for allowing me to live out my passion each and every day," Iamaleava wrote.

He then went on to thank the 'people in Knoxville' for his two years spent at Tennessee.

"To the amazing people in Knoxville, thank you for embracing and uplifiting me throughout my time there," Iamaleava wrote. "I'll be forever thankful for the support you showed me every step of the way and I'll always cherish the relationships I built there and the memories I created with my brothers. I believe with all my heart that I gave my all as a Volunteer. I'm truly grateful for the time I had at UT."

Iamaleava then touched on the decision to ultimately depart from Knoxville and the University of Tennessee.

"My journey at UT has come to an end," Iamaleava wrote. "This decision was incredibly difficult, and truthfully, not something I expected to make this soon. But I trust in God's timing, and I believe He's leading me where I need to be.

"Even though, this chapter is ending, a new chapter has begun and I am committed to UCLA!"

After his first season as the starter and second with the Tennessee program, Iamaleava returned as the Vols' unquestioned starter. However, as spring camp wound down, a bombshell dropped on the Thursday before the annual Orange & White Spring Game.

Reports surfaced that Iamaleava was in active talks regarding his NIL compensation. That night, Iamaleava's father took to Twitter/X to call out the report for being fabricated.

On Friday morning, Iamaleava, to the surprise of the coaching staff and team, did not show up for practice. The following day, Tennessee made the decision public that it would be moving on from Iamaleava and looking for a different quarterback for the upcoming season.

Vols coach Josh Heupel indicated the decision was made when Iamaleava did not show up for practice on Friday. He also acknowledged that the program would look to the transfer portal to bring in a quarterback.

Currently in Tennessee's quarterback room are just two inexperienced players. Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre were both four-star recruits out of high school with limited experience at the college level.

Iamaleava joined Tennessee as one of the top recruits the program had ever signed.

Out of Downey, California, Iamaleava was ranked as the No. 2 player in the class, No. 1 out of California and No. 2 pro-style quarterback. The lone player ahead of him in the rankings was Texas signal caller Arch Manning.

Iamaleava, earning a five-star rating, joined Heupel to begin a string of five-star commitments. Tennessee followed it up with five-star receiver Mike Matthews, five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. and now five-star verbal commitment quarterback Faizon Brandon.

Iamaleava has a younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, who was a four-star quarterback in the 2025 class. He initially was committed to UCLA but flipped and signed with Arkansas late in his recruitment.

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