Amid dream start for Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar, father says ‘it’s clear who won the trade’ with UCLA
Published:
Tennessee was involved in the first (unofficial) trade of the NIL era over the summer. Nico Iamaleava left the Vols after the spring amid controversy and went home to play for UCLA. The Bruins were happy to add a high-profile name and a College Football Playoff starter to the roster, but that also meant losing previously signed App State transfer Joey Aguilar.
Aguilar went to Knoxville to take Iamaleava’s spot.
It has been a dream start.
“We don’t have any problems with Nico. If anything, it’s thank you,” Aguilar’s father told On3’s Pete Nakos this week. “I think it’s clear who won the trade. Look at the fans and the stats. Everything happens for a reason.”
Tennessee fans will feel like they won the trade as well.
The Vols (2-0) have scored 117 points in 2 games. Aguilar has 535 passing yards with 5 scores and 0 interceptions. He’s averaging 9.1 yards per attempt with a 66.1% completion rate — both higher than what Iamaleava averaged last year in the Josh Heupel offense.
At halftime of last Saturday’s win over ETSU, Aguilar had more passing yards (288) than all but 2 of Iamaleava’s games across the 2024 season.
UCLA, meanwhile, has struggled around Iamaleava. The Bruins are 0-2 to begin their second season under coach DeShaun Foster. The roster was mostly remade over the offseason and it has been slow to gel. UCLA was battered by Utah at home to open the season, 43-10. The Bruins then lost to UNLV on the road in a Week 2 game that saw them trailing 23-3 at the halftime break.
Iamaleava has 391 passing yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 picks. He’s completing 63.5% of his throws for an average of 6.2 yards per pass attempt. While Aguilar has only faced pressure on 12 of his 60 dropbacks this season (20%), Iamaleava has been pressured on 32 of his 79 dropbacks (40.5%).
Had things not fallen apart between the Vols and their once-hyped quarterback, Aguilar would likely be in the same situation. Instead, Aguilar will play in a matchup on Saturday that hosts ESPN’s College GameDay.
All eyes will be on Knoxville when the 15th-ranked Volunteers meet the sixth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Tennessee is a 3.5-point dog in the game, per ESPN Bet. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
