College Football is its own little microcosm in the grand scheme of the sports realm. Among a multitude of facets that make it a standalone thing is the nature of the athletes. These aren’t professionals, they’re students. Ones with rather imposing, chiseled physiques but students after all. Conceded, the Nico Iamaleava ordeal blurs the lines between the two. But even with the advent of NIL to pay these players, the full framework of pro sport doesn’t quite translate over. It’s a bit more of an anarchy. These student athletes have different issues to deal with. Not just injuries, controversies or finances. But grades in the classroom as well!

Now that the dust has settled on Nico Iamaleava’s exit from Tennessee, a couple of things have become fairly certain. One, he didn’t plan to actually leave Knoxville. Nico’s farewell post on IG confirmed this, and so did the actions that preceded it. It appears he and his camp entered negotiations hoping for a resolution either way. But akin to Icarus, they flew too close to the sun. Or in this case, the Power T. The Vols’ brass and HC Josh Heupel didn’t stand for it and essentially told Nico to kick rocks. The fact that he’s reportedly set to make even less money at UCLA than he did at Tennessee reinforces that this wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. Alas, it’s how it transpired nonetheless. But while the athlete suffix is now taken care of, the student prefix for Nico Iamaleava remains unresolved. 

Over on X, ESPN’s Chris Low relayed an integral piece of the puzzle. Turns out, Cali native Nico Iamaleava cannot converge with UCLA just yet. Low reports, “UCLA coach DeShaun Foster noted today that QB Nico Iamaleava has to ‘finish first at Tennessee’ before joining the team this summer. To be eligible, transfers have to finish classes.” After the ugly manner in which things went down, you probably won’t catch Nico on campus at UT. Classes will almost certainly be online.  Low, via DeShaun Foster, also mentioned when Nico will become a fully vetted UCLA Bruin.

Chris Low also mentioned the reciprocal is true for Joey Aguilar. The former Appalachian State QB is transferring the other way from UCLA to Tennessee in what many are referring to as the first “trade” in College Football. But even Aguilar will have to bide his time in the classroom, virtually most likely, before rocking up to Rocky Top. But that’s the timeline on this swap? “UCLA is on the quarters system. Final exams are June 9-13,” wrote Low. This implies there are a couple of months to go. Plenty of time for the discourse around this multilayered situation to swell even more. For the uninitiated, here’s the entire rundown of how and why things went really south, really quickly for Nico Iamaleava. As well as its knock-on effect on Joey Aguilar.

The Nico Iamaleava-Joey Aguilar “trade” came about from unprecedented circumstances

The VoIs initially lured Iamaleava in 2023 by making him one of the first big beneficiaries of the NIL era. In exchange for his services, he signed onto a deal that reportedly raked in north of $2 million a season. $8 million total. At the time, this was the richest NIL deal across the sport. But the market has since changed. So Iamaleava and his camp, spearheaded by his father, sought more money from the Tennessee brass and the NIL collective in a renegotiation ploy. They apparently wanted $4 million a year. His performances last season didn’t quite warrant a raise of this magnitude, though. Not to mention the precedent it would’ve set if the Vols bowed down to Nico. So when he held out of the final spring practice, they essentially told him to kick rocks.

In the backwash of this, Nico Iamaleava hit the transfer portal and wound up at UCLA. But there was one issue. The Bruins had only recently acquired a different QB via the portal in Joey Aguilar, with a view for him to be a starter next season. Nico’s arrival meant Joey was displaced before he even took a snap for UCLA. Tennessee had an opening, of course, and he’s ended up swapping places with his contemporary. Even Nico’s brother Madden Iamaleava has followed suit to UCLA from Arkansas. That one hasn’t just caused unrest, it may have led to some legal action.

Although it’s happened out of necessity more than want, this is a supremely good opportunity for Joey Aguilar. He’s at a relatively bigger program with better players around him in totality. Plus, the Vol faithful are yearning for a messiah now. Someone who can mend their broken hearts after how Nico Iamaleava left them hanging to dry. Aguilar has a chance to earn a cult status and etch himself into Tennessee folklore. A sentence that would’ve been unfathomable a fortnight ago. But before that, before fall, he’s got to pass his tests in June! Talk about a downer.