Where is Nico Iamaleava from? Taking a closer look at Tennessee QB's family and personal life

Nico Iamaleava may not play for the Tennessee Volunteers next season. Due to a contract dispute, Iamaleava refused to attend the Volunteers' spring training camp. The Volunteers are reportedly likely to move on from Iamaleava.

In the wake of the news and controversy surrounding Iamaleava, fans want to know more about him.

Where is Nico Iamaleava from?

Nico Iamaleava is from Long Beach, California and attended high schools in the Los Angeles and Long Beach areas. He is of Samoan descent, and his family keeps a strong connection to their Polynesian roots.

Who is in Nico Iamaleava's family?

Nico Iamaleava is the son of Alex (father) and Marleinna (mother) Iamaleava.

Alex is the assistant coach of a high school football team and was an athlete in his youth, playing rugby (a sport popular in the Polynesian islands).

Marleinna does not appear (at least from publicly available information) to have had a career in athletics. However, she did unfortunately have to battle breast cancer a few years ago. Luckily, this was found early enough, and she was able to have treatment.

She would go on to create the Nico8 Foundation, a charity that supports cancer awareness and helps with youth programs.

Nico is the third of eight children, with the rest of his siblings (Nicaylah, Matt, Madden, McKennah, Ninalei, Mallory and Nori) all being involved in sports at one point.

Madden Iamaleava is also a quarterback who will enter College Football this season. He has committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks. But with Nico being dropped from Tennessee (and will likely enter the transfer portal because of this), this reduces the possibility that we will see both Iamaleava quarterbacks facing off against each other in the near future.

What is Nico Iamaleava's connection to Volleyball?

As with many college athletes, Nico was not limited to football.

During his high school days, Nico played volleyball and was generally seen as one of the best high school players in the country. But, it wasn't just him who played the sport in the Iamaleava family.

His older brother Matt played volleyball for Long Beach State University, while his sister Nicaylah played for Cypress College, a college based near Long Beach.