Sources: UCLA’s Aguilar to transfer to Tennessee
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Chris Low
A day after Nico Iamaleava finalized his move from Tennessee to UCLA, Joey Aguilar is doing the same from UCLA to Tennessee in what’s essentially a quarterback trade, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Aguilar transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA during the winter portal and was the front-runner to be the Bruins’ starting quarterback this fall. But UCLA announced the signing of Iamaleava on Sunday, and Aguilar entered the spring portal Monday.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said on April 12 when announcing the program was moving forward without Iamaleava that the Vols would add another quarterback in the spring portal. When Aguilar became available, Tennessee immediately showed interest. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior has one year of eligibility remaining after passing for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns the past two seasons at Appalachian State. Aguilar, originally from Antioch, California, started his career at Diablo Valley Community College.
The deal that Aguilar is finalizing to go to Tennessee is similar financially to the deal that he previously had at UCLA, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He had $1.2 million left at UCLA on his deal, and his new deal at Tennessee is close to that. Factoring in taxes, it will be similar pay for Aguilar. He’d also already made more than $200,000 in his first few months at UCLA.
Iamaleava, Tennessee’s starter last season as a redshirt freshman, entered the portal last Wednesday, the day it opened. He skipped practice the previous Friday and didn’t alert coaches or teammates. After several people around the program tried to contact him that day, Iamaleava called offensive coordinator Joey Halzle that night to inform him that he was entering the portal and didn’t attend the Vols’ spring game the next day. That morning, Heupel — who said he never heard from Iamaleava — told the team that Iamaleava would no longer be part of the program.
Heupel thanked Iamaleava for his contributions to the program but added, “There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T, and that includes me.”
Iamaleava’s representatives were pushing to have his NIL deal increased, sources told ESPN, and On3 reported the Thursday before Iamaleava missed practice Friday that the two sides were in negotiations. Iamaleava was set to earn in the $2.4 million range this year from Tennessee. He signed his initial contract with the Spyre Sports Group, a Tennessee-based collective, while still in high school. His full deal was reportedly $8 million but would have been closer to $10 million had he stayed the entire time at Tennessee. Sources told ESPN that Iamaleava’s representatives wanted a deal in the $4 million range for him to stay at Tennessee for a third season.
Iamaleava redshirted his first season on campus and took over the starting duties last year in helping to lead Tennessee to the College Football Playoff. He finished with 2,616 passing yards and 19 touchdowns but passed for more than 200 yards only twice in nine games against SEC opponents and Ohio State in the playoff game.
Aguilar was the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2023 and started 24 games during his two years at Appalachian State. He set a school record with 4,002 yards of total offense his first season for the Mountaineers and another school record for the regular season with 33 touchdown passes. His numbers dipped some in 2024 with 3,003 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. He had a career high of 424 yards on 32 completions in a win over East Carolina. Aguilar was intercepted 14 times last season and threw 24 interceptions during his two-year career at Appalachian State.
As news broke last week that UCLA was a likely destination for Iamaleava, Aguilar’s representatives began reaching out to different schools to gauge interest.
UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said two weeks ago that he had “full belief” in what offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri could do with Aguilar because of Sunseri’s “record with one-year quarterbacks.”
Foster said each day in the spring that Aguilar was settling down and “getting more comfortable running the offense.” Aguilar had been on campus for part of only three months. He’ll have about that same amount of time to get ready for the start of preseason practice at Tennessee. He will join redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre as the three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. Neither has played a meaningful college snap.
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Jorge Castillo
NEW YORK — Juan Soto‘s return to Yankee Stadium in a Mets uniform Friday night went just about as he expected: with loud, relentless boos and chants from scorned Yankees fans still offended by his decision to choose the crosstown rival over their team during the offseason.
“I was ready for it,” Soto said after the Yankees beat the Mets 6-2 to open the Subway Series. “They’re really passionate fans and they’re a little hurt, and they’re going to do the best for their team, and they just feel that way.”
All game, whether he was in the action or not, Soto heard a chorus of boos and chants directed at him. Most chants were vulgar. All the boos were loud. After partnering with Aaron Judge to create one of the most productive duos in baseball history and lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years in his only season in the Bronx, he was the center of attention from beginning to end Friday.
And Soto — whose 15-year, $765 million contract is the richest in North American sports history — was prepared for it.
Soto, 26, stepped to the plate for his first at-bat in the first inning with a plan for the vitriol. Instead of ignoring the inevitable rancor, he was, after some prodding from teammates, going to playfully acknowledge it.
So while thousands of people stood to jeer him, he smiled, took off his helmet, tipped it to the crowd, touched it against his chest and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“We were just joking in the dugout that I should do it, and I just did it,” Soto said. “Guys loved it.”
Minutes later, the Bleacher Creatures, the celebrated group of staunch fans in the right-field bleachers who serenaded Soto with “Re-Sign Soto!” chants last season, turned their backs to him when he took his spot in right field in the bottom of the first inning. Soto said he didn’t notice them.
“I was just listening to the boos,” Soto said. “I tried to not have any eye contact. I just listened to the boos.”
Between the lines, Soto’s return was rather quiet. He walked in his first three plate appearances, scoring the Mets’ first run on Brandon Nimmo‘s single in the fourth inning. Soto grounded out in the seventh inning and flied out to center field with two runners on base to end the game. He emerged with a .252 batting average and .845 OPS through his first 44 games as a Met.
“Every time he’s at the plate, we feel good,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Didn’t come through today, but that’s the guy you want there in that spot. He’ll be fine.”
Defensively, Soto failed to throw out a runner at home on Anthony Volpe‘s 243-foot sacrifice fly in the third inning. In the eighth, he caught a fly ball for the third out and tossed the ball over his head into the seats behind him. A fan threw it back onto the field, igniting passionate cheers.
There were more cheers when Soto made the final out, ending an eventful night the 47,700 people in attendance anticipated.
“It’s just another game,” Soto said. “It’s real [unfortunate] that we couldn’t get the win. I don’t focus at all on fans. We got to focus on the game and be a professional, try to win a game. Yeah, it sucks that we lost the game, but we have two more to win the series.”
The Chicago White Sox placed left-hander Tyler Gilbert on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a sprained MCL in his left knee.
The White Sox recalled left-hander Jared Shuster from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move.
Gilbert exited the team’s 13-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Friday in the sixth inning after facing just two batters.
He is 1-1 with a 4.85 ERA in 13 games (three starts) this season.
Gilbert, 31, is 3-8 with a 4.30 ERA in 47 career appearances (16 starts) with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies and White Sox.
Shuster, 26, has a 7.59 ERA without a decision in eight relief appearances this season with the White Sox.
NEW YORK — Yankees reliever Jake Cousins felt pectoral discomfort after throwing a pair of batting practice sessions, another setback in his bid to return to the mound for the first time since last fall.
Cousins won’t throw again for four or five days, manager Aaron Boone said Saturday.
Boone said ahead of spring training’s opening workout that Cousins had a strained right forearm and was uncertain for the March 27 opener.
A 30-year-old right-hander, Cousins threw batting practice to injured slugger Giancarlo Stanton on May 6. Boone said Cousins pitched an additional session before the pec issue caused a shutdown.
“We don’t think it’s anything serious, but enough to hold him back a few days,” Boone said.
Boone said Cousins had tests and that they didn’t show any shoulder issues.
Cousins had a 2.37 ERA in 37 relief appearances last year, striking out 53 and walking 20 in 38 innings.
Boone said a date has not been set for Stanton to start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment. The five-time All-Star has been sidelined since spring training with pain in the tendons of both elbows.
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