Paul Finebaum. © Shanna Lockwood-Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum Throws Shade at Nico Iamaleava in Bold Take

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The 2024 college football season was a remarkable one for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Tennessee finished the season with a record of 10-3, marking the second time in three seasons that the team achieved 10 or more wins. This also represented the first time since 2008 that the Volunteers recorded multiple 10-win seasons.

Additionally, this season marked a historic milestone: the Volunteers made the College Football Playoff for the first time in the program's history. This accomplishment brought optimism for the upcoming 2025 season, especially with redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava returning for his second year as the starter.

However, just before the spring game, Iamaleava announced that he would enter the transfer portal, and shortly thereafter, he revealed his transfer to the UCLA Bruins. In the wake of this news, former Appalachian State quarterback Joey Aguilar, who had originally committed to UCLA, entered the portal and transferred to Tennessee.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst expressed strong opinions about whether Aguilar would have a better season than Iamaleava did in the previous year.

"I don't think it would be hard to have a better season than Nico," Finebaum said. "Frankly, I'll take the over on Joey having a better season than Nico (last season)."

Iamaleava played a pivotal role in leading the Volunteers to their first appearance in the College Football Playoff, showcasing his elite potential. As a former five-star recruit and the No. 1 player in the 2023 class, he had an impressive first season as the starter, throwing for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

Aguilar threw for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions, while completing 60.1% of his passes during his two seasons at Appalachian State. He also rushed for 452 yards and five touchdowns.

Aguilar now has the opportunity to prove Finebaum right by having a more significant season than Iamaleava. The Volunteers will kick off their season on Aug. 30 against the Syracuse Orange at noon ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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