Elite California quarterback recaps "great" Clemson visit

Iamaleava has a nice throwing motion.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Jun 06 08:00:07 GMT-04:00 2021

Four-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava is one of the hottest names going in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and he’s taking a few weeks to visit college campuses around the country with his father. He spent Friday night and Saturday at Clemson and said he enjoyed everything about the trip.

Iamaleava, a 6-5, 195-pounder out of Downey (CA) Warren, earned an offer at Ohio State’s camp earlier this week, and the Buckeyes join a long list of suitors that include UCLA, Southern Cal, Florida State, Georgia, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Utah.

The second cousin of Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, Iamaleava arrived on campus Friday night and took part in a photoshoot before working out Saturday morning. He made all the throws and showed arm strength and accuracy during his sessions with the coaches.

Iamaleava described what it was like to see the Clemson campus and visit with the coaches.

“It was great. There were a lot of trees out there. I had a lot of fun connecting with the coaching staff. I love Coach (Brandon) Streeter, and Dabo is a great guy,” Iamaleava said. “The campus is great. Overall, the whole campus and the entire coaching staff are both great. I got to see the locker room and got to see DJ's locker at the stadium. The stadium is huge.”

He wasn’t offered, but the coaches let him know they are going to keep the lines of communication open.

“I don't know yet about an offer,” he said. “The coaches told me they wanted to keep our relationship and they would let me know after camp. That was pretty much it.”

Iamaleava and his father are scheduled to visit both Georgia and Alabama, and he said getting away from California and seeing different places has been eye-opening.

“This has been a great experience for me. It was a little bit different for me at first with all of the traveling and the flights we had to take and stuff like that,” Iamaleava said. “Getting sleep is different and this is just a different experience for me.”

Iamaleava said the visit simply reinforced his desire to work hard.

“That has always been one of my goals, and I know I have to work,” he said. “I know what I have to do to perfect my craft. I didn't get here without working. I don't mind the hard work and the mindset for me never changes. I know I have to work for whatever I get.”