Who is Nico Iamaleava's brother Madden Iamaleava? All we know about 2025 4-star QB

By Aman Sharma

Modified Sep 04, 2024 18:27 GMT

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Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava made headlines earlier this week by earning the honor of the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week. The redshirt freshman completed 22 of 28 passes, accumulating 314 yards and three touchdowns and setting a school record in his Neyland Stadium debut against Chattanooga in Week 1.

Now, his younger brother, Madden Iamaleava, is emerging as a promising quarterback in his own right. Hailing from Long Beach, California, Madden is attending Warren High School, where he initially served as a backup to Nico during his sophomore year.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 185 pounds, Madden passed for 3,626 yards with 43 touchdowns and just four interceptions in his junior season, leading Warren High to an 11-3 record and a spot in the CIF-SS Division 3 semifinals. He earned the title of Co-Offensive Player of the Year in the Gateway League.

He is ranked as a four-star quarterback and among the top 100 recruits as per ESPN. In May 2024, he committed to UCLA, although he has also garnered interest from Oregon and Nebraska. During his sophomore year, while backing up his brother Nico, he threw for 675 yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception across 10 games.

Nico Iamaleava shines in Neyland Stadium debut, setting Tennessee record

Nico Iamaleava's debut experience at Neyland Stadium exhibited his power in the Vols' stunning 69-3 win over the Chattanooga Mocs. In his first home start, he completed 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns. The performance broke Tennessee's record for passing yards in a half, beating Tyler Bray's 313-yard outing against Troy in 2012.

Iamaleava, who hadn’t played in 243 days, wasted no time getting into the rhythm. He completed his first 10 passes, amassing 159 yards and two touchdowns before a dropped pass ended his perfect streak.

By the end of his time on the field, he was 19 for 22 with five scoring drives out of five possessions. His efforts contributed to Tennessee’s 490 total yards while he was at the helm, allowing him to remain on the sidelines for the second half as Tennessee had already built a 45-point lead.

Reflecting on his performance, Nico Iamaleava expressed his satisfaction, saying:

“It felt great, man. Just going out there and competing with my guys. We put a lot of work into this for this year, so it felt good to go out there and just play with them.”

Despite his success, both Iamaleava and coach Josh Heupel acknowledged there’s room for improvement.

"He's a young player," Heupel said. "He came out played really effeciently, effectively, made some plays down the field. But there's some things that he can control and be better. He knows that and he wants that too."

Nico Iamaleava attended Warren High School in Downey and Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California. He earned the Polynesian Football Player of the Year award, where he threw for 186 yards and a touchdown.