UCLA and Tennessee Execute ‘Trade’ in Latest Transfer Portal Bizarreness

In what’s essentially a ‘trade’ within the portal, UCLA and Tennessee have officially swapped quarterbacks. As previously reported, Nico Iamaleava is coming back home to Southern California — leaving Tennessee in favor of UCLA.

Ironically enough, UCLA’s projected starter, Joey Aguilar, left the school and has reportedly signed with Tennessee. Aguilar transferred to UCLA this offseason from Appalachian State. He even participated in UCLA’s Friday Night Lights practice this past week amidst the rumors Iamaleava was coming.

Reports had UCLA paying Aguilar roughly $1.2 million. Another said he made $200k while at UCLA — though now he’ll move to Tennessee for a similar total package. Iamaleava is allegedly set to make $2.4 million in Westwood.

We’ll see how each move pans out. Tennessee was scrambling to find a quarterback after losing its starter. Aguilar is a bit of a gunslinger with a big arm and decent mobility. While he makes some ‘wow’ plays at times, he’s also prone to throwing interceptions. Jumping up a level was always going to be a question, and now we’ll see if he can manage on a team that’s seen its stable of skill position players and much of the offensive line depleted.

Iamaleava should give UCLA a huge boost from a notoriety standpoint. He’s the local kid coming back home, and there’s some real buzz around the program. Couple that with him being an upgrade, and the Bruins might end up far better than people expect them to be.