Given all the transfer portal movement and high school commitments over the last two weeks, nobody could blame University of Tennessee sports fans for suffering from a case of whiplash. The news has rolled in fast and furious, with football and basketball adding some big pieces to the puzzles.
The saga surrounding Nico Iamaleava took another wacky step last week in what amounted to a quarterback swap between Tennessee and UCLA. Following Iamaleava’s decision to leave UT after a NIL compensation dispute, the Southern California native announced he was joining UCLA.
Iamaleava’s decision prompted UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar to enter the transfer portal. Aguilar had just arrived at UCLA after transferring from Appalachian State and was expected to be the Bruins’ starter. But Iamaleava’s arrival shifted the dynamic in the QB room.
Considering UT’s need at quarterback, many began connecting the dots and wondering if Aguilar would decide to transfer to Knoxville. Numerous reports have confirmed he does plan to join the Vols once all of his academic requirements are met from his other schools.
In his two seasons at App State, Aguilar threw for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns with 24 interceptions. He also rushed for 456 yards and five touchdowns. Before App State, the California native spent two years in junior college at Diablo Valley College. He was able to get an extra year of eligibility after the NCAA granted a waiver to former Juco players with eligibility remaining in 2025.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports, UT is expected to pay Aguilar up to seven figures less than Iamaleava’s scheduled $2.4 million in compensation. Iamaleava was reportedly seeking an increase to $4 million a year at UT, which led to his departure when the Vols wouldn’t budge.
Prayers answered with Ament
In the midst of the Iamaleava-Aguilar swap, both UT basketball teams signed high-level players and generational recruits.
The Vols signed five-star small forward Nate Ament, the highest-rated recruit in program history. Ament, a Manassas, Virginia, native, is ranked in the top four of the 2025 class by all major outlets. He is the third top-five prep recruit to ever sign with the Vols, joining Tobias Harris and Allan Houston.
The 6-foot-9, 185-pound Ament averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds for Highland School this past season while leading the team to an independent school state title. A member of the 2024 U18 USA National Team, Ament was the 2024-25 Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year.
“Standing out with next-level positional size, he possesses the rare combination of the ability to dribble, pass and shoot with confidence and precision,” UT head coach Rick Barnes says. “Nate has a strong basketball IQ to go along with an excellent pairing of skill and toughness. He’s the kind of versatile talent who can impact the game in a variety of ways and, in our eyes, he was the No. 1 player in the class. We are thrilled to have him in orange.”
Ament will join fellow Virginia recruit Troy Henderson and transfers Jaylen Carey from Vanderbilt and Ja’Kobi Gillespie from Maryland as new faces on the UT roster. The Vols are still in the market for at least two more players to add to the team for next season, preferably on the perimeter.
“Again, the best player we can get, that would be it,” Barnes says. “I mean, someone that can impact our program in more than one way, someone that can impact us, understands what we want to do.”
Three-on-three for Lady Vols
The Lady Vols signed rising senior transfers Janiah Barker from UCLA, Nya Robertson from SMU and Jersey Wolfenbarger from LSU. All three will be playing for their third school.
Barker, a 6-foot-4 forward, was the No. 3 ranked prospect in the espnW 2022 high school class and is the fourth top-30 ranked player from the 2022 class on the Lady Vols roster, joining No. 15 Ruby Whitehorn, No. 18 Talaysia Cooper and No. 30 Zee Spearman.
The Marietta, Georgia, native was the highest-ranked recruit in program history when she signed with Texas A&M. She averaged 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds over two seasons before transferring to UCLA, where she earned 2025 Big Ten Conference Sixth Player of the Year honors. Barker averaged 7.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists this season for the Bruins, who reached the Final Four for the first time in program history.
“Janiah is special,” Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell says. “She is a guard in a post’s body, and I am excited to watch her game grow during her final college season. Her best basketball is ahead of her, and I am thankful that I have an opportunity to coach her. She will have an immediate impact, and the sky’s the limit for her.”
Robertson, a Fort Worth, Texas, native, averaged a team-leading 18.5 points per game with 62 3-pointers made to earn All-Atlantic Coast Conference second-team honors at SMU this past season. Before SMU, the 5-foot-7 guard spent two seasons at George Washington University, where she averaged 15.3 points.
“We are excited about Nya,” Caldwell says. “She is going to be a perfect fit for us, because she can play at our speed and be a three-level scorer. She flies around on defense, pushes pace and can help us right away.”
Wolfenberger is joining her third SEC school. The 6-foot-5 forward began her career at Arkansas before transferring to LSU. The former five-star recruit averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in her lone season at LSU.
“Jersey will provide size and speed, which is the perfect combination of what we are looking for,” Caldwell says. “She is a transition player who will help make our team faster and is one of the best rim runners out there. She will be a great fit here.”