The Nico Iamaleava saga is having a domino effect at UCLA.
UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar is entering the transfer portal according to Thomas Goldkamp of On3 Sports. He had transferred to UCLA this spring from Appalachian State.
The news of Aguilar transferring comes just days after former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava announced that he was signing with UCLA. It is evident that second-year UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster will go with the former five-star recruit in Iamaleava heading into the 2025 season.
Aguilar spent two seasons with Appalachian State (2023-24), throwing for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns while having completed 60.1 percent of his passes. He added 452 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He earned Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year and Second-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2023.
Iamaleava joins the Bruins after having led the Volunteers to the first 12-team College Football Playoff last season. It was reported that Iamaleava wanted more money from the Volunteers but the program decided to move on from the former five-star recruit instead.
The Bruins finished the 2024 season with a 5-7 record in Foster’s first season at the helm. Ethan Garbers was under center for UCLA last season and threw 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
Iamaleava is a clear upgrade compared to Garbers and could thrive under new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri. Sunseri has a track record of developing quarterbacks which dates back to his tenures at Indiana and James Madison.
As for Aguilar, there should be strong interest from premier schools looking to sign the 6-foot-3, 220Ibs passer.
