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Joey Aguilar is thriving in his role as QB1 for the Tennessee football team. He and his family have Nico Iamaleava to thank.
The Vols essentially made a trade with UCLA by swapping starting signal callers. Aguilar’s dad recently opened up about what transpired before the transfer.
The quarterback started his career at Diablo Valley Community College. He then suited up two years at Appalachian State before hitting the transfer portal this past offseason.
Aguilar threw for more than 6,700 yards in Boone. He was a highly regarded portal prospect.
The dual threat passer, who hails from the state of California, was offered by the Bruins. He committed to UCLA in December. A few months later, he was no longer needed.
UCLA chose Nico Iamaleava over Joey Aguilar.
Iamaleava reportedly expressed concerns about NIL to the Tennessee staff. He also demanded upgrades be made amongst his supporting cast. Neither happened, so he left Knoxville.
The former 5-star signal caller took a pay cut to go to UCLA. Aguilar was not made aware of the Bruins’ quarterback pursuits.
The passer’s dad, Jose, spoke to On3 Sports about what was happening behind closed doors. He says the family was left in the dark.
“We were kept in the dark,” Aguilar’s father said. “They didn’t tell us anything. Obviously, the writing was on the wall. We were finding out everything on social media. But even when they were in negotiations with Nico, they weren’t telling us anything… We really didn’t have a lot of information until they called and told us Nico was coming.”
When Aguilar was informed of the decision, his dad said the plan was to stay in Los Angeles and compete. Much of that was due to his being close to home.
Joey Aguilar is from Antioch, California. It’s about five and a half hours outside of Los Angeles. His family would’ve been able to come watch him play for the Bruins each home game. The trip is now much further.
Knoxville is 2,500 miles from Antioch.
Aguilar wanted to battle Iamaleava for the starting job. UCLA wouldn’t allow it, according to his dad.
“Joey thought he could stay and compete… But it was clear they were going to go in a direction, regardless of talent.”
-Jose Aguilar
Aguilar left Los Angeles. There was an opening in Knoxville. The two teams swapped signal callers. Tennessee won the trade.
Despite the distance, his family was able to attend his home opener.
The quarterback expressed gratitude for his opportunity with the Vols, made possible by Iamaleava’s departure. His father echoed those sentiments.
“We don’t have any problems with Nico,” he said. “If anything, it’s thank you. Joey is in a great spot. That’s what I would say, thank you. He did what he decided to do. Everything that happened, happened. I think it’s clear who won the trade.”
“We’re not at Tennessee without Nico making the decisions he made.”
-Jose Aguilar
Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee. UCLA chose him over Joey Aguilar after allegedly shady backdoor dealings. The two players have gone in very different directions through two games with their new schools.