LA Times Article (link attached) on the Nico just published "They (UCLA) hire a deserter"

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terraceparkvol

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#1
sports.yahoo.com

Plaschke: With Nico Iamaleava joining UCLA, everybody loses

UCLA's decision to recruit embattled Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava could very well turn into a match made in college football hell for many reasons.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

Sorry if repeated elsewhere but like that the hometown writer scorched the move in their hometown.
 
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#2
#2
UCLA picked up Aguilar, went through spring practice with him, saw all the theatrics playing out here and said that’s our guy. That’s a cold business choice full of questionable reasoning. After we signed Aguilar, if UCLA wasn’t ride or die with Nico before, they’re that much more locked in now. Good luck to them.
 
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#3
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#5
#5
madbamahater said:
Did UCLA find through spring practice that they needed to go after Nico after seeing Aguilar? If they were happy with Aguilar, why would they pursue another QB?
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Honestly I don't think they did. I think Nico probably reached out to them since he had no other options and a team like UCLA would be foolish to turn down a prospect like Nico.
 
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#9
#9
madbamahater said:
Did UCLA find through spring practice that they needed to go after Nico after seeing Aguilar? If they were happy with Aguilar, why would they pursue another QB?
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The moves with Nico and Madden gave them a potential opportunity to secure a starting QB for the next five years at a relatively low cost. Aguilar has only one year of eligibility remaining.
 
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#10
#10
ArmchairQB said:
UCLA picked up Aguilar, went through spring practice with him, saw all the theatrics playing out here and said that’s our guy. That’s a cold business choice full of questionable reasoning. After we signed Aguilar, if UCLA wasn’t ride or die with Nico before, they’re that much more locked in now. Good luck to them.
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This has been a huge concern of mine. We are picking up the guy they thought was not good enough after spring practice for the guy who's off the field camp was a huge headache.

The headache of Nico's camp was worth the discount price and subsequent removal of Aguilar to UCLA.
 
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#11
#11
Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va said:
This has been a huge concern of mine. We are picking up the guy they thought was not good enough after spring practice for the guy who's off the field camp was a huge headache.

The headache of Nico's camp was worth the discount price and subsequent removal of Aguilar to UCLA.
Click to expand...
I agree with K-Town Vol's post above that UCLA didn't think that. Nico's family has them thinking he is the next great QB just like they fooled Hype. UCLA probably runs a drop back pro style O which is what Nico's camp believes he will shine in. Apparently all the toxic waste that comes with him can be tolerated, ha ha. Good luck when daddy asks for $2M after this season for him to stay.

Vols much better off with a QB who is happy to be here and wants to win.
 
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#12
#12
Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va said:
This has been a huge concern of mine. We are picking up the guy they thought was not good enough after spring practice for the guy who's off the field camp was a huge headache.

The headache of Nico's camp was worth the discount price and subsequent removal of Aguilar to UCLA.
Click to expand...
I'm at peace about it. If none of this foolishness had ever happened, we'd still have been an injury away from finding out how Merklinger or MacIntyre would do. We're still in the same boat that'd have put us in, plus we have Aguilar. He's either better than either of them and he's going to start, or he's not and he's good depth with experience that Merklinger or MacIntyre lack so far. Either way, the season's at worst a mulligan and I have to think our absolute floor in conference is to go 4-4, with the potential to have a real addition-by-subtraction kind of a season.
 
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#13
#13
VolsFan-TX said:
The moves with Nico and Madden gave them a potential opportunity to secure a starting QB for the next five years at a relatively low cost. Aguilar has only one year of eligibility remaining.
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Relatively low cost? Wait til next spring when daddy starts renegotiating for both boys after the offense has already been installed.
 
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#15
#15
madbamahater said:
Did UCLA find through spring practice that they needed to go after Nico after seeing Aguilar? If they were happy with Aguilar, why would they pursue another QB?
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I think it was Nico's "team" who sought out UCLA and now thy are stuck with both Nico and his brother. They are in a lot of trouble, but it is not costing them very much.
 
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#16
#16
Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va said:
This has been a huge concern of mine. We are picking up the guy they thought was not good enough after spring practice for the guy who's off the field camp was a huge headache.

The headache of Nico's camp was worth the discount price and subsequent removal of Aguilar to UCLA.
Click to expand...
It's a reach to say Aguilar wasn't "good enough" after spring practice. I'd argue Nico's team reached out to them after all the other teams said no. They decided to take him on, Aguilar read the room and wisely entered the portal to find a place where he could have a chance to play, especially as Madden has re-entered the portal. As to the Vols picking him up - who else was in the portal?
 
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#18
#18
I think Nico was talking to UCLA before UCLA got Aguilar to begin with. UCLA needed a backup plan in case Tennessee gave Nico more money and he stayed in Knoxville.

once Nico bolted, the backup plan was no longer needed
 
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Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va said:
This has been a huge concern of mine. We are picking up the guy they thought was not good enough after spring practice for the guy who's off the field camp was a huge headache.

The headache of Nico's camp was worth the discount price and subsequent removal of Aguilar to UCLA.
Click to expand...
UCLA people I have talked to actually assumed Aguilar would end up beating out Nico, so before you spout baseless opinion maybe ask some folks that know.

Aguilar left because he didn't want to be in the middle of that shitshow, not because they kicked him out.
 
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#20
#20
ButchPlz said:
UCLA people I have talked to actually assumed Aguilar would end up beating out Nico, so before you spout baseless opinion maybe ask some folks that know.

Aguilar left because he didn't want to be in the middle of that shitshow, not because they kicked him out.
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I think it was all assumed that if UCLA was going to pay Nico that Nico would be the starter. Aguilar wasn't going to spend his last year on the bench and UCLA knew this when they signed Nico. Nico got his money from UCLA because UCLA knew they weren't going to have to pay Aguilar.

at the end of the day UCLA upgraded for no other reason than Aguilar is a one-and-done QB who was brand new to their system and Nico will most like be around a couple years. that fact alone is worth pulling the trigger if you're UCLA.

Aguilar was never "the solution" because he's a transfer portal senior. just like he isn't the solution for Tennessee's future. he's just a guy coming in to fill a job for one year while the real guys get one more year experience in Heupels system.
 
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#22
#22
Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va said:
This has been a huge concern of mine. We are picking up the guy they thought was not good enough after spring practice for the guy who's off the field camp was a huge headache.

The headache of Nico's camp was worth the discount price and subsequent removal of Aguilar to UCLA.
Click to expand...
That doesn't sound like what happened. Sounds like he had established himself as the leader and set to have a good year. They obviously had a package deal worked out and instead of 1 year of QB, they got 4-5 years. And it gives UCLA attention, although not all of it good. They prob got Nico and Madden combined for what they would have to pay 1 elite QB prospect.

I trust CJH, if he wants Aguilar, then that's good enough for me. Now, we just gotta add him a few weapons.
 
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#23
#23
UCLA rents Nico for one year and a little over a million dollars. You know that if he puts up any numbers at all, he'll demand a huge raise after the season no matter what their final record is. His dad will still be a huge issue for UCLA even after he transfers because now the family will demand his younger brother be the starter. Glad we got out of all the drama.
 
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#25
#25
OldandStillaVol said:
UCLA rents Nico for one year and a little over a million dollars. You know that if he puts up any numbers at all, he'll demand a huge raise after the season no matter what their final record is. His dad will still be a huge issue for UCLA even after he transfers because now the family will demand his younger brother be the starter. Glad we got out of all the drama.
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Big Nic has been neutered. He has zero leverage and there is nowhere left to go. UCLA is the dead end he drove the family bus into and there's no way out. Not only has he lost millions with Nico, Madden's value has surely been significantly diminished as well.
 
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