Urban Meyer: 'I was dead wrong' about Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava-Joey Aguilar trade

Urban Meyer declared Tennessee Football dead when Nico Iamaleava entered the NCAA Transfer Portal last April, landing at UCLA after what was reported to be an NIL standoff with the Vols. 

Tennessee didn’t back down when its starting quarterback wanted to renegotiate his NIL deal in search of more money. Instead, the Vols called his bluff. 

“I was the first guy when Nico left,” Meyer said this week on The Triple Option podcast with Mark Ingram and Rob Stone, “I said D-U-N done, it’s over in Knoxville. How do you lose a quarterback with that talent?”

Now, three weeks into the new season, Meyer is eating those words and not afraid to say it.

“I was dead wrong,” Meyer said. “I was dead wrong.”

"I was dead wrong."

Urban Meyer praised Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar while admitting he was wrong to declare the Vols "D-U-N dun" after Nico Iamaleava left Knoxville.

🎥 via @3xOptionShow pic.twitter.com/wQ2lE4GGoI

— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) September 19, 2025

The quarterback Tennessee got, Joey Aguilar, has passed for 906 yards and accounted for 10 total touchdowns through three games. Last week he had the 15th-ranked Vols on the doorstep of a win over No. 5 Georgia, before a missed field goal with seven seconds left in regulation helped the Bulldogs win 44-41 in overtime. 

Aguilar had 371 yards passing, four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the loss.

“That kid played his ass off,” Meyer said. “I know they lost. But he played his ass off.”

“He had them in position to win the game,” Ingram said.

Iamaleava, on the other hand, is without a head coach after UCLA fired DeShaun Foster on Sunday, following an 0-3 start to the season, including a 35-10 home loss to New Mexico Friday night. 

“UCLA makes the worst trade in the history of trades,” Meyer said. “And Tennessee lands this guy, and I don’t know this guy, but he must be a monster.”

Aguilar spent the previous two seasons at Appalachian State, throwing for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. In December the Oakley, Calif., native, went back home, transferring to be the next starting quarterback at UCLA.

Then the Bruins then added Iamaleava on April 20, leading Aguilar back to the portal and eventually landing at Tennessee to replace Iamaleava.

In his first three games at UCLA, Iamaleava has passed for 608 yards and three touchdowns while also leading the Bruins in rushing with 139 yards and a touchdown on 30 attempts. 

“Was that the first trade (in college football)?” Ingram asked. “And worst?”

‘Chasing the almighty buck. It’s going to bite you sometimes.’

Iamaleava said at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas during the summer that the move was about getting closer to home. It was reported at the time of his transfer that Iamaleava had held out of a spring practice and was out of contact with his coaches before head coach Josh Heupel and his staff decided to move on.

“I said when he left that’s going to be — it actually breaks your heart,” Meyer said. “The guy is a young player that is talented. It’s going to be one of those moments — and I hope it all works out, I understand he’s a great kid, too — why did the guy do that? At some point you’re going to say, why did I do that? 

“Somebody was in his ear,” Ingram added. “I don’t know who.” 

“Chasing the almighty buck,” Stone said. “It’s going to bite you sometimes.”