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With the dust now settled, Nico Iamaleava is preparing for life as UCLA’s new starting quarterback after abruptly leaving Tennessee. Replacing him in Knoxville, ironically, is Joey Aguilar — who was originally set to be the Bruins’ quarterback in 2025 after transferring from Appalachian State.
Iamaleava and Aguilar’s swapping of teams has been widely viewed as the first unofficial trade of the NIL and transfer portal era. Now, the question is: who actually won?
Depending on who you ask, opinions vary.
USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer believes UCLA came out ahead in the aftermath of the chaos.
“Only UCLA upgraded its situation, acquiring a talented quarterback on a cut-rate deal,” Toppmeyer wrote.
247Sports’ Gerald V. Dixon didn’t name a winner, but he offered a strong assessment of Tennessee’s future without Iamaleava — and with Aguilar now in charge.
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“You run it right back to when Jeremy Pruitt left,” Dixon said. “In my opinion, when you don’t have a quarterback that can get you to 10 wins... we’re talking about the team that just lost to the national champions (Ohio State) in the playoffs. So, you’re going down a level and down a step in terms of quarterback play.
“Irregardless of everyone’s opinion about Nico’s ability or how he played or how Tennessee’s offense was last year in terms of heavy run, 76th in passing offense... he still is a player that defensive coordinators had to stay up late at night [for] just because if he was on, Tennessee was almost unbeatable because they played great defense as well.”
AtoZSports co-founder and COO Austin Stanley quickly pushed back on Dixon’s projection, arguing that the Vols are nowhere near the low point of the Pruitt era.
“Saying Tennessee is ‘back to where Pruitt left them’ because Nico left is insane,” Stanley said. “Josh Heupel’s team went 19–6 in the 25 games right before Nico took over. Pruitt won 16 games in three years.”
Pruitt’s tenure is widely considered one of the darker stretches in Tennessee’s recent history. However, since Heupel took over, the Vols have reestablished themselves as an SEC power.
Iamaleava, meanwhile, has been heavily scrutinized for his abrupt and messy exit. Some of the backlash stemmed from reports of him requesting a $4 million NIL deal despite a disappointing season under center.
Aguilar, on the other hand, has the chance to do the unthinkable. As Driving the Line host Allan Bell put it, Aguilar has been handed a “lottery ticket” — and could become a legend in Knoxville if he can lead the Vols to wins.
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