The transfer portal quarterback trade-off took an interesting twist this week when Joey Aguilar followed through on his dad’s comments. Just days after his dad shared that Tennessee decisively won the quarterback trade with UCLA to reporters, Aguilar stepped up and backed up his father’s statements.
“I think it’s clear who won the trade. … We’re not at Tennessee without Nico making the decisions he made,” Joey stated.
Joey Aguilar’s statements on the whole Nick Iamaleava trade-off saga come after his father claimed that Joey got the better end of the trade deal.
“We don’t have any problems with Nico. If anything, it’s thank you… I think it’s clear who won the trade,” Joey’s dad said.
“Look at the fans and the stats. Everything happens for a reason,” he added.
Related: Joey Aguilar’s Father Sends Bold Message to Nico Iamaleava Following UCLA-Tennessee Trade
Joey Aguilar Has Made Stellar Start to His Tennessee Career
Joey Aguilar wasted no time making his mark in orange and white. His debut against Syracuse was everything Tennessee fans hoped for when they welcomed the transfer quarterback to their program. With an impressive 247 passing yards and three touchdowns, including a 73-yard bomb to Braylon Staley, Aguilar even rushed for 34 yards against Syracuse.
Week 2 brought even more fireworks against East Tennessee State. Joey Aguilar absolutely torched the Buccaneers for 288 passing yards and two more touchdowns in a 72-17 snuffing. A 54-yard touchdown in particular stood out.
I still can’t stop thinking about this Joey Aguilar bomb to Braylon Staley.
The QB fit is so perfect. He made great decisions all game.
Tennessee still has an 11 win ceiling and if they beat Alabama will be in the CFP once again.
Beautiful ball.
pic.twitter.com/ZBvRucSy0U— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) September 1, 2025
Meanwhile, Nico Iamaleava’s experience at UCLA has been nothing short of nightmarish. The Bruins entered the season with such high hopes, but have fallen to an 0-3 start that includes a shocking loss to New Mexico. The Lobos, who UCLA paid $1.25 million to come play at the Rose Bowl, surely delivered a humiliation with a 35-10 loss, leaving the fans to question everything.
The Nico Iamaleava transfer already had to be one of the worst ROIs on a deal in history
Add $1.25 Million for paying New Mexico to come into the Rose Bowl & beat you by FOUR SCORES 😮💨
Say a prayer for UCLA fans tonight pic.twitter.com/h2ViuUAnJp
— Sebastian Fearon DPT, CSCS, OCS (@TheDegenDoc) September 13, 2025
Iamaleava’s stats in the New Mexico game really told his sorry story this season. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards with one touchdown and a single interception.
Read More:
- Who Are the Georgia-Tennessee Game Announcers Today on ESPN? All You Need to Know About Week 3 Game’s Coverage Team
- Top 10 Hilarious Nico Iamaleava Jokes Cracking Up the Internet After Massive New Mexico-UCLA Loss
- Nico Iamaleava’s Disasterclass Draws Trolls From Pac-12, Big Sky Conference As UCLA Falls Apart in Blowout Loss vs New Mexico
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