Quarterback that Tennessee pursued after Nico Iamaleava left the Vols explains why he didn’t transfer to the SEC

One of the oddest stories of the college football offseason is easily the quarterback swap between the Tennessee Vols and the UCLA Bruins.

After Nico Iamaleava transferred from Tennessee to UCLA in April, Joey Aguilar quickly made the decision to leave the Bruins for the Vols.

That saga is the closest thing we’ve seen to a trade in college sports.

Before the Vols landed Aguilar as a transfer, they made a “strong push” (according to ESPN) for Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer.

Altmyer, however, decided to stick around at Illinois instead of transferring to Tennessee.

The former four-star recruit acknowledged to On3’s Pete Nakos that staying at Illinois and passing on a chance to return to the SEC was a “difficult decision” (Altmyer spent the first two seasons of his college football career at Ole Miss).

“It was a difficult decision, but I know what’s important,” said Altmyer to On3. “I know what is being created here, and the trust, unity and the connection that I have amongst my teammates, this community and my coaches. The success is waiting for me here. It’d be foolish to pick up and start over and take a risk when I have a lot of trust that’s been earned and built.”

It’s actually refreshing to see a player like Altmyer stick with the program where he spent the last two seasons. I think he would’ve been a good fit with the Vols, but there’s enough program hopping in college football these days as it is.

The best thing for Altmyer’s development (or really any quarterback) is to stick with the system he’s been in — instead of trying to learn a brand new system in just a couple of months.