Randy Smith
Just a few years ago the exchange of quarterbacks between Tennessee and UCLA this week would have never happened. Players could transfer only if their current school released them and they would lose a year of eligibility. Also, players could not transfer to another school within their conference. That all changed a couple of years ago when the NCAA introduced the Transfer Portal. Now any player at any school can transfer as long as they enter the portal. I've stated many times the portal and NIL deals will kill college sports if there are no regulations or restrictions in place. In other words, the recent "player swap" between UCLA and Tennessee will become more prominent.
Nico Iamaleava announced more than a week ago he wanted more money and when the Volunteers refused to budge he started to approach other schools for interest. When that happened Coach Josh Heupel sent him packing and he eventually signed a new deal with UCLA for less money. Now, the Vols were in decent shape in the quarterback room with George MacIntyre and Jake Merklinger, but just for assurance Coach Heupel signed UCLA's QB Tony Aguilar who never took a snap in LA because he came to the Bruins from the portal during the winter. Aguilar set all kinds of passing records at Appalachian State throwing for more than 6,700 yards in just two seasons. He will have two years of eligibility with the Volunteers.
Though no one is saying it publicly, the feeling is Tennessee came out of the process smelling like a rose. Aguilar is a very talented signal-caller and will be a better fit for Coach Heupel's system. Nico is more mobile but Aguilar seems to be a more accurate passer, although his 25 interceptions in two seasons may be a concern. He did throw for 56 touchdowns to go along with his 6,760 passing yards. The 6'3" 224 pound Aguilar signed an NIL deal with Tennessee for $1.2 million which is exactly half of what the Vols were paying Nico. To get a quality quarterback and save $1.2 million is a real plus.
There is no guarantee that Aguilar will be the Volunteers starting quarterback in the fall because MacIntyre and Merklinger are both very talented young men. There appears to be a big competition for the QB 1 job when camp opens in August. The bottom line is this: Josh Heupel proved just how capable of handling a very tough situation he is. He refused to allow the Iamaleava family to hold his team hostage and his quick thinking allowed the Vols to put their QB situation in good hands.
Tennessee will be just fine in 2025 and to answer my own question....the Vols got the much better end of the deal.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com