The saga surrounding Nico Iamaleava has reached an apparent end, with the much-discussed Tennessee football transfer committing Sunday to UCLA.
It’s not the first time in the past four months that the Bruins believed they had found their quarterback for the 2025 season.
Last December, one week after Iamaleava and Tennessee lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff, UCLA received a commitment from Appalachian State transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar.
At the time, it looked like a mutually beneficial marriage. Aguilar, an Antioch, California native, got the opportunity to return to his home state and suit up for a Power Four program while the Bruins, who were losing starter Ethan Garbers, got a proven and productive signal-caller who had thrown for more than 3,000 yards in each of the past two seasons.
Now, due to previously unforeseeable circumstances, that potential pairing may end before it ever got to begin.
After missing a practice ahead of his team’s spring game while engaged in active negotiations over his NIL deal with the school, Iamaleava and Tennessee went their separate ways on April 12, putting a former five-star recruit and playoff starter on the market.
Before his commitment Sunday, Iamaleava had been publicly linked to UCLA for days. The murmurs were loud enough that Aguilar’s representatives had started reaching out to other schools to gauge their interest in the former Appalachian State standout, according to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low.
A Bruins quarterback room that was once empty following the graduation of Garbers and the transfer of Justyn Martin is now uncomfortably full, with Iamaleava’s commitment raising questions about what Aguilar’s future with the program will be.
Here’s a closer look at Aguilar and UCLA’s quarterback situation:
UCLA quarterback depth chart
After committing to UCLA in December, Aguilar worked with the Bruins and their coaching staff during spring practice while earning praise from new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri.
‘I think Joey’s a guy that can be able to understand information,” Sunseri, who coached against Aguilar while at James Madison, said earlier this month. “I think he’s a guy that can be really pushed. … I think he’s been able to take that coaching. He’s learning each and every day. He’s being able to apply. It’s a lot of learning for him.”
With Iamaleava now aboard, UCLA has nine quarterbacks on its roster, though that number could shrink given the latest addition to the position group and with the spring transfer portal window open until April 25.
Beyond Iamaleava and Aguilar, the Bruins’ quarterback roster includes Dermaricus Davis, a Washington transfer and former four-star recruit, and Henry Hasselbeck, the son of former NFL Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck.
Here’s a look at the quarterbacks on UCLA’s roster as of Iamaleava’s commitment on Sunday:
Nico Iamaleava
Joey Aguilar
Dermaricus Davis
Henry Hasselbeck
Luke Duncan
Nick Billoups
Karson Gordon
Robert McDaniel
Colton Gumino
Joey Aguilar stats
Aguilar spent the past two seasons at Appalachian State, where he was a productive passer for Mountaineers teams that went a combined 14-11. During that time, Aguilar threw for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while adding 456 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Here’s a look at his year-by-year stats at Appalachian State:
2023: 293 of 460 (63.7%), 3,757 yards, 33 touchdowns, 10 interceptions; 81 rushes, 249 yards, 3 touchdowns
2024: 218 of 390 (55.9%), 3,003 yards, 23 touchdowns, 14 interceptions; 59 rushes, 207 yards, 2 touchdowns
Prior to Appalachian State, Aguilar played for two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College in California. In his final year there, he completed 64% of his passes for 1,446 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions in six games.
Joey Aguilar 247
Coming out of junior college, Aguilar was rated as a three-star prospect by 247Sports’ Composite rankings. Among junior college players, he was the No. 115 overall prospect in the 2023 class and the No. 2 quarterback, behind only current BYU starter Jake Retzlaff.
Aguilar was similarly rated as a transfer prospect, ranking as the 80th quarterback and No. 968 overall recruit.
