Miles Kitselman reveals how Tennessee group chat handled Nico Iamaleava leaving

In April, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava sent shockwaves through the college football world when he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Iamaleava was reportedly seeking a $4 million deal from the Volunteers, a significant raise from his reported pre-existing $2.4 million deal.

Iamaleava and Tennessee ultimately couldn’t come to an agreement and Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. At the 2025 SEC Kickoff earlier this week, Tennessee tight end Miles Kitselman revealed how he and his teammates reacted to Iamaleava’s public dispute with the program.

“We had group texts with a couple of the guys and whenever some stuff was going around, we all came together and said, ‘Hey, man, we want somebody that wants to be here,'” Kitselman said. “I talked about it earlier, it’s next snap, next play, don’t worry about what happened before and that can translate over into life. That can translate over into that situation, to where it’s, ‘If you don’t want to be here, that’s fine. We’re going to go find somebody who does, and he’s going to come in and compete and want to be here.'”

Ironically, Tennessee found that person in the place Iamaleava was transferring. Just days after Iamaleava committed to UCLA, Bruins quarterback Joey Aguilar transferred to Tennessee. Aguilar had transferred to UCLA in December after spending two seasons at Appalachian State.

In his two seasons at Appalachian State, Aguilar amassed 6,760 passing yards and 56 touchdowns while throwing 24 interceptions. In the ground game, Aguilar recorded 456 total rushing yards and five scores.

His 3,757 passing yards in the 2023 campaign are the most in a single season in program history. He also shattered the record for passing touchdowns (33) in a single season that year.

While Aguilar hasn’t officially earned Tennessee’s starting quarterback role yet, insiders believe he is the favorite. Earlier this week, Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel revealed how Aguilar immediately stepped into a leadership role for the team.

“The first week he was here with all our guys, he took the offensive linemen out to dinner,” Heupel said. “Those are little steps in developing relationships where you can eventually lead them.

“When you’re coming in, how you present yourself every single day inside and outside the building is going to be how players perceive you. He has an ability to connect with our guys as a veteran guy. He has developed relationships and earned the trust of those guys.”