Sat Oct 04 22:20:00 UTC 2025: **Tennessee QB Aguilar’s Comments Highlight Former Vol Iamaleava’s Struggles at UCLA**

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar may not have realized it at the time, but his recent comments praising the Vols’ offensive system have taken on new significance in light of Nico Iamaleava’s struggles at UCLA. Iamaleava, who left Tennessee seeking a more lucrative NIL deal and citing concerns about the Volunteers’ offense, is now facing criticism as the Bruins’ offense sputters.

“This is just a super quarterback friendly offense,” Aguilar told reporters during an open week. “There are a lot of different things that we’re doing in this offense from last year…But coach has got a lot of trust in me, and I’ve got a lot of trust in coach.”

The stark contrast between Aguilar’s success and Iamaleava’s struggles is striking. Under Aguilar, Tennessee’s offense is one of the nation’s best, ranking third in scoring (51 ppg), sixth in passing (337.2 ypg), and seventh in total offense (536.4 ypg). Aguilar has thrown for 1,459 yards and 13 touchdowns, benefiting from a strong offensive line and a top receiver in Chris Brazzell.

Meanwhile, at UCLA, Iamaleava is mired in a struggling offense. The Bruins rank near the bottom of FBS in scoring (14.3 ppg), total offense (321.3 ypg), and passing offense (197 ypg). Iamaleava has thrown for 788 yards and just four touchdowns. The Bruins’ offensive woes have even led to the firing of coach DeShaun Foster and the departure of offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri.

Aguilar credits his strong relationship with the Tennessee coaching staff for his success. “We go in the film room, talk about plays and dial things up,” Aguilar said. “Just the space of open communication that we have with each other to discuss what we like, what we don’t like, what we want to add, what we want to take out is very helpful.”

Aguilar also highlighted the benefit of being coached by former quarterbacks like head coach Josh Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle.

As No. 15 Tennessee (4-1) prepares to face Arkansas (2-3) on Oct. 11, they hope to maintain their offensive momentum and compete for a spot in the SEC Championship. UCLA (0-4) faces No. 6 Penn State (3-1) on Oct. 4, looking to turn their season around.

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