Skip to main content
Tennessee

Nico on Joey Aguilar: 'Hopefully he gets to experience all the positive things I experienced'

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey07/25/25GrantRamey
NCAA Football: Appalachian State at East Carolina
Sep 14, 2024; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Appalachian State Mountaineers quarterback Joey Aguilar (4) goes to throw the ball against the East Carolina Pirates during the second half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Nico Iamaleava was ready to compete with Joey Aguilar for the starting quarterback job at UCLA. Instead, Aguilar is competing for the job Iamaleava gave up at Tennessee. 

Iamaleava left the Vols in April, transferring to UCLA and saying Thursday, while speaking publicly for the first time since the move, that was simply about getting closer to home. 

He also addressed Aguilar, who had transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA in December, then reentered the NCAA Transfer Portal after Iamaleava committed to the Bruins.

“My mindset was going into compete with whoever was in there for the starting spot,” Iamaleava told ESPN. “I wish him nothing but the best. I know he’s going to get the best fans out there. Hopefully he gets to experience all the positive things I experienced.” 

Joey Aguilar at App State: 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns, 24 INTs

Aguilar threw for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions and completed 60.1% of his passes in 25 games at Appalachian State. 

Next week he enters fall camp with the Vols, competing for the starting job alongside redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre.

“He’s growing every single day,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of Aguilar lsat week at SEC Media Days. “(He’s had an) ability to connect with the guys inside of our roster, as a veteran guy coming in, just developing relationships, then earning the trust of those guys by how you approach every single day.”

Iamaleava passed for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions in 13 games last season, his first season as Tennessee’s starter. The Vols went 10-3, ending the season with a 42-17 loss at Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.

On Thursday Iamaleava said his move to UCLA was about getting closer to home. The Long Beach, Calif., native, said the move was not about money, saying there were “false reports” about the reason for his transfer.

“My driving factor to come back home was my family, and I hope every Tennessee fan understands that,” Iamaleava said. “It was just a lot of drama, but man, I’m excited to be at UCLA.”

Josh Heupel on Tennessee QBs: ‘I’m really excited about who we have in there’

Heupel in April thanked Iamaleava publicly for his two seasons at Tennessee and moved forward, saying that no single player was bigger than the Power T. He reiterated that stance at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. 

“It’s never about who’s not in your building,” Heupel said, “but about who is in your building … having guys that want to compete along with their brothers inside of that locker room, building that connection, but also having the right guys in there.

“At the end of the day, I’m really excited about who we have in there. The addition of Joey, who’s already inside of that group, highly competitive guys that are smart, that have the physical traits to be successful.”

You may also like