Just when everyone thought the Tennessee Volunteers‘ quarterback situation couldn’t get any more controversial, the Vols made a splash by acquiring UCLA Bruins transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar.
What makes this move interesting is that Tennessee lost its starting quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, to UCLA in the transfer portal. So, essentially, the Vols have completed the first trade in college football history.
So, how will Tennessee’s new quarterback acquisition impact the team in 2025?
Joey Aguilar
Joey Aguilar comes to Tennessee with one year of eligibility after making stops with Diablo Valley Community College, Appalachian State, and UCLA.
Aguilar began his career playing JUCO at Diablo Valley Community College in Pleasant Hill, California. After two seasons with the program, Aguilar transferred to the Appalachian State Mountaineers.
In 2023, Aguilar became the Mountaineers’ starting quarterback in his first season with the team. That year, Aguilar shattered expectations, breaking school records for most single-season touchdown passes (33) and single-season passing yards (3,757).
Although Aguilar had an outstanding start to his time with Appalachian State, his numbers dwindled in his second season. In 2024, Aguilar finished with 10 fewer touchdown passes (23) and four more interceptions (14) while completing less than 60% of his passes.
After the 2024 season, Aguilar transferred to UCLA and was expected to be the Bruins’ starting quarterback. However, Aguilar re-entered the transfer portal after Iamaleava announced that he would be coming to UCLA.
Even though Aguilar showed a decline between 2023 and 2024, he still provides the Vols with much-needed experience. Since Iamaleava’s exit, Tennessee only returns two scholarship quarterbacks: sophomore Jake Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre. These young quarterbacks show a lot of promise, but neither has started in a collegiate game, while Aguilar has started in 24 games.
Aguilar will also help contribute to the Vols’ run game. He isn’t a traditional dual-threat QB, but Aguilar can scramble when he has to. Aguilar rushed for 452 yards and five touchdowns in his two seasons with the Mountaineers, and in 2023, he had four games with 40 yards rushing or more.
In addition to his running skills, Aguilar also excels in close games. Nearly half of his career touchdown passes tied the game or gave his team the lead. In 2023, he led the FBS in that category, throwing 15 touchdowns in crunch time.
Ultimately, Aguilar is a serviceable QB for a Tennessee team that lacks experience and stability at the quarterback position. It is still unclear whether Aguilar will be a starter in 2025, but it is clear that he will save the Vols’ NIL team a lot of money:
Aguilar’s NIL Evaluation
When Iamaleava was in contract talks with Tennessee, it was rumored that his camp was searching for $4 million a year when he was reportedly making $2.4 million yearly. So, how much will Aguilar make for the Vols in 2025?
Although no exact figure has surfaced, sources with ESPN claim that Aguilar was set to make $1.2 million with UCLA, and his deal with Tennessee will be similar. If that is the case, Tennessee will pay Aguilar half of what Iamaleava made with the Vols. This could be great news for the Volunteers, considering they have plenty of holes to fill on their roster.
Tennessee is without four of its starting offensive linemen and is only returning three scholarship wide receivers from last season, so this could allow the Vols to distribute their funds to other positions of need. So, who knows, Iamaleava’s departure could be a blessing in disguise for the Volunteers.
