How Tennessee losing Nico Iamaleava turned them into legit CFP contenders

Tennessee fans were thrown into a panic this offseason when two-year starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava made the surprising decision to take his talents to UCLA via the transfer portal. The Volunteers were left scrambling at the most important position on the field, eventually responding by stealing the QB Iamaleava was supplanting, Joey Aguilar, away from the Bruins.

That quarterback trade set up interesting theater between these two storied programs heading into the regular season. Aguilar and Iamaleava suddenly shared a link that was going to cause them to be evaluated against one another in 2025. Given Iamaleava's obvious physical tools, recruiting pedigree and SEC experience, it seemed like the Vols were in for at least a slight downgrade as they relied on Aguilar moving up from Sun Belt competition. Through two weeks, though, it's hard to call the trade anything other than a major win for Tennessee.

The most important difference between the two players to date are the win totals of their respective teams. The Volunteers are 2-0 after a decisive win over Syracuse in Week 1 and a blowout against East Tennessee State at home on Saturday. Leading the Tennessee offense to 72 points against the Buccaneers delighted fans eager to tout their new signal-caller's success.

In sharp contrast, Iamaleava's Bruins are 0-2 on the young season. They were pounded by Utah in the opener, with a final score of 43-10. Following that up with a 30-23 loss at UNLV did not inspire any confidence for fans in Los Angeles. It also spelled delight for Tennessee fans eager to shovel dirt on the career of their former offensive talisman.

Joey Aguilar-Nico Iamaleava swap a win for Tennessee, and a lesson for everyone else

Aguilar will be under the microscope next week for Tennessee as they host Georgia on Saturday afternoon. College GameDay will be in Knoxville, which should serve to introduce Aguilar to a national audience. A big performance against Georgia's defense could push him into the Heisman conversation as an individual. More importantly, it could put his team in the driver's seat to secure a College Football Playoff berth and maybe even an SEC title.

Any dreams UCLA harbored of Iamaleava leading them to glory this year may have already gone out the window. They need to stabilize things quickly if they want to be a factor in the race for a Big Ten title. They also need Iamaleava to harness his full potential and become a star quarterback if they want to reach that sort of rarified air: Nothing about Iamaleava's performance on the young season inspires confidence that he can help UCLA compete with the likes of Ohio State and Michigan.

The battle between Aguilar and Iamaleava isn't over, but it's safe to say the Tennessee star has sprinted out to a massive lead. Their fans are taking to social media in droves to mock their former signal-caller.

And really, it's hard to blame them. For all of Iamaleava's gifts, and the grit he showed in guiding the team to a Playoff spot last season (where he was given very little help in a blowout loss to Ohio State), it was clear to anyone who actually watched Tennessee's offense try to function that he was one of the main things holding it back. He has a cannon for an arm and plenty of athleticism, but his lack of touch short-circuited Josh Heupel's go-go attack, frequently missing deep balls that his predecessor, Hendon Hooker, regularly cashed in.

Aguilar isn't in Iamaleava's league as an athlete. But he throws a much, much more catchable ball, which in this scheme is really all you need — Heupel is going to engineer open receivers, and all that's required of his quarterback is to give them a chance to make a play. Maybe he'll hit his ceiling when he finally goes up against SEC competition, much less an elite defense like Georgia. But if this trend continues, it may end with the Volunteers playing on the biggest stage possible with the CFB field is announced.