Joey Aguilar's Father Shades Nico Iamaleava, Says Tennessee 'Won the Trade' with UCLA

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar's father, Jose Aguilar, feels it's obvious which program came out on top after his son and UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava swapped places this offseason.

"We don't have any problems with Nico," Jose Aguilar told On3's Pete Nakos. "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. Look at the fans and the stats. Everything happens for a reason.

"We're not at Tennessee without Nico making the decisions he made."

Aguilar, who originally committed to UCLA after two years at Appalachian State, re-entered the transfer portal and joined the Volunteers shortly after Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee in April after a reported dispute over his NIL contract.

Tennessee named Aguilar the starter on Aug. 17 after he successfully beat out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger for the role.

Aguilar has since led the Volunteers to a 2-0 start to the season, most recently throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of Saturday's win over East Tennessee State.

Iamaleava has not found as much immediate success with the Bruins, which are off to an 0-2 start to the campaign.

The UCLA quarterback most recently threw for 255 yards with a touchdown, a costly fumble and a late interception that cut short the Bruins' comeback attempt in a Saturday loss to UNLV.

Aguilar is up for the biggest challenge of his Tennessee career when the Vols take on their first ranked opponent of the season with a Saturday matchup against No. 6 Georgia.

Whether Aguilar is able to stand up to the pressures of a defense that has been historically dominant at stifling Tennessee's run game could determine how far both he and the Volunteers can expect to go this season.

Iamaleava meanwhile will look to get the Bruins back on track during two upcoming matchups against New Mexico and Northwestern before jumping into ranked competition with an Oct. 4 matchup against No. 2 Penn State.