Sports

Nico Iamaleava’s UCLA-Bound Brother Forced To Sit Out Senior Season Amid Bizarre HS Transfer Saga

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A football rests on the field.

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High school football star Madden Iamaleava will not play out the remainder of his senior season in California. The four-star UCLA commit has been deemed ineligible by the CIF Southern Section.

The ruling stems from a transfer decision with Iamaleava changing schools.

The quarterback started under center at Warren in 2023, taking over for older brother Nico following his departure for Tennessee. He began his 2024 campaign with the school before attempting to transfer to Long Beach Poly.

According to On3 Sports, the family has a history of flip flopping between the high schools.

Iamaleava is the younger brother of Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava. The brothers transferred to Long Beach Poly previously in the spring of 2022 ahead of Nico’s senior season, but quickly left and opted to return to Warren in the summer.

Nico, who began his career as a freshman at Poly before transferring to Warren, played his senior season at Warren before signing with Tennessee as one of the nation’s top overall recruits in the Class of 2023.

Madden Iamaleava threw for 43 touchdowns last year with Warren, and jumped on a UCLA offer in May. He then started Game 1 with his high school football team in 2024 before he was no longer seen on the official roster.

It seems he won’t be appearing on the Long Beach Poly roster, either, with the latest CIF Southern Section ruling. The CIF “prohibits athletes from participating immediately with their new school if they deem a transfer to be ‘athletically motivated.’

A sit-out period is required for students transferring schools without a valid change of residence, with athletes getting just one sit-out period across their four years in high school.

Hardships are possible but are not always approved, and an appeal, in this case, would likely take too long given there are just four weeks remaining in the regular season.

That means Madden Iamaleava has likely taken his final snap on a high school football field. He’ll suit up for the UCLA Bruins the next time he lines up under center.