After entering the transfer portal on Monday afternoon, former UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar has committed to Tennessee, capping one of the wildest weeks in recent memory. In what can only be described as a trade, the Vols get the former Bruins QB, one day after Nico Iamaleava committed to UCLA after leaving Knoxville.
There are a lot of ways to look at this one, but having one quarterback leave your school for UCLA, to then bring in the guy who transferred to Westwood in the first place, to then commit to Tennessee has to be one of the crazier stories we’ve seen in recent memory.
According to sources, once the Nico Iamaleava deal was done with UCLA, Tennessee made its approach very quickly with Aguilar. The two sides are working to hammer out a deal, which is expected to be completed soon. I would expect a verbal announcement from the Aguilar camp soon, as they finalize the details.
Nico Iamaleava And Joey Aguilar Swapping Schools Would Be On-Brand For This Crazy Ordeal
Chris Low was first to report.
Also, the deal for Aguilar to Tennessee is expected to be around the same as he would’ve made this season at UCLA, which is in the ballpark of $1.2 to $1.3 million, according to sources familiar with the deal.
In two years at App State, Aguilar passed for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns, before deciding to transfer back to the West Coast to play for UCLA in his final year. Obviously, plans have drastically changed over the past five days.
In another twist, according to sources, Nico’s brother, Madden Iamaleava, has informed Arkansas that he plans on entering the transfer portal as well. The younger Iamaleava plans on transferring to UCLA, where he would join his older brother.
But, the optics were already there, and while it would have been easy for Joey Aguilar to stay at UCLA to fight for the QB-1 spot, logic is the only thing that makes sense in this scenario. This was never going to be a true competition for the starting spot, even if the coaching staff wanted to make it seem that way.
How Long Was This Deal With UCLA Being Sorted For Iamaleava’s?
The news of Nico Iamaleava leaving Knoxville sent Shockwaves through the college football world, but I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a situation like this. After speaking with UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster on Saturday night, and being told that there would be a competition for the starting role with Iamaleava, Joey Aguilar decided it was in his best interest to enter the transfer portal.
But, if you follow the trail, a majority of this story did not just fall into place overnight. This past weekend, the Iamaleava family was in Fayettville to visit the younger son, Madden. Along with his father, and Nico, the group had dinner with Arkansas OC Bobby Petrino. Obviously, that has all changed over the past 48 hours, with the younger brother now expected to join Nico at UCLA.
In speaking with sources close to the situation, there wasn’t much reaction from the Razorbacks staff, knowing this could’ve been a possibility down the road.
Nico Iamaleava’s Camp Says They Didn’t Steer Him In Wrong Direction, As Transfer Portal Opens
As for Joey Aguilar, just a few hours after having his name officially entered into the database, we have ourselves a college football trade.
Tennessee needed a quarterback with experience to battle for the starting job, and they get that with Aguilar, who passed for over sixty touchdowns during his time at App State.
The only question now is how can Josh Heupel snag a few more playmakers from the transfer portal to accompany Joey Aguilar.
Obviously, this has been a whirlwind for all parties involved. But, I’m pretty sure folks will be talking about this saga for years to come. We will see which side got the better end of this deal, but its safe to say this ia a new one for college football.
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