UCLA Football: Is Elite 2025 QB Leaning Toward the Bruins?

One report sounds promising for the Bruins...

There's no secret UCLA would love to land an elite quarterback in the class of 2025.

From local prospect Husan Longstreet to out-of-state gunslinger Keelon Russell, the Bruins have been quite thorough in sifting through potential additions to the program. 

Based on a report Sunday evening from Adam Gorney (via Tracy McDannald) of Rivals.com, the Bruins may be closing in on a very talented signal-caller from Southern California. 

Four-star 2025 dual-threat QB @MaddenIamaleava of Downey (Calif.) Warren told @adamgorney that a Saturday visit to UCLA impressed him and the Bruins look like they’re in a good spot.

Plus more of his notes from @RivalsCamp:https://t.co/lNO1l5snk2

— Tracy McDannald 📎 (@Tracy_McDannald) March 11, 2024

2025 QB Madden Iamaleava of Warren High School in nearby Downey, Calif. reportedly took a trip to UCLA this past weekend. Reports indicated that the visit went swimmingly -- to the point that Gorney had this to say about Iamaleava and UCLA: 

"This isn’t the Chip Kelly UCLA regime any longer. Four-star quarterback Madden Iamaleava and a bunch of other prospects visited Westwood on Saturday and the Downey (Calif.) Warren standout came away very impressed by the excitement around the program (and recruiting, something Kelly seemed to despise when he was there) and how much NFL experience is on the coaching staff. 

The Bruins are in a prime position to land Iamaleava, who is also serious about Nebraska, and his impressions of the new coaching staff in Westwood is a big reason why the Bruins are so high."

- Adam Gorney of Rivals.com

on QB Madden Iamaleava

If the surname 'Iamaleava' sounds familiar, it's because Madden's older brother is current Tennessee signal-caller Nico Iamaleava. The older brother had a very high-profile recruitment which saw him ultimately head east for the SEC.

Originally from Southern California, it appears as if the younger brother may want to stay close to home. While Madden isn't considered to be as good of a prospect as his brother, he's still quite gifted in his own right. 

247Sports has Iamaleava ranked as a 4-star prospect -- and the No. 13 player overall in the state of California. He has dual-threat abilities which help make him a very modern quarterback in the mold of a Dorian Thompson-Robinson. 

After a great conversation with Coach Billy, I’m blessed to receive an offer to UCLA!!🔵🟡
@TEAMTOARECRUITS pic.twitter.com/u1EyQo0VsE

— Madden Iamaleava (@MaddenIamaleava) February 7, 2024

The impact of Eric Bieniemy on the staff cannot be emphasized enough. Young quarterbacks realize they'll be playing under the guy who -- for better or worse -- helped develop Patrick Mahomes into a multi-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback. 

This is most certainly something UCLA should smartly use when recruiting talent on the offensive side of the ball. Iamaleava would be a building block for the class of 2025 -- and the effort in trying to get him into the fold further illustrates the fresh change from Chip Kelly's inconsistent effort in recruiting to a far more engaged strategy under the DeShaun Foster regime.