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Tennessee

Joey Aguilar admits he almost gave up football to become a firefighter

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison08/21/25dan_morrison96
Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s been a long offseason for Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar. He began it by transferring out of App State and landing at UCLA, only for the Bruins to bring in a new starting quarterback. That forced him once again to bounce into the portal and land at Tennessee.

Since getting to Knoxville, Aguilar managed to get named the starting quarterback at Tennessee. That’s his focus now, but it was a long journey, and he almost gave up along the way to become a firefighter back when he was at the JUCO level.

“It’s crazy,” Aguilar said. “Because before I went JUCO, I wanted to be a fireman. So, I was like, I might as well start. COVID happened, and football was kind of done at the JUCO level. So, I was like, if I’m gonna do that, I might as well start my career, start taking classes for that.”

Aguilar was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2019. As he noted, COVID slowed his career down in the beginning, and in 2021, he began playing again at Diablo Valley in California. He’d then move on to App State and later UCLA, before effectively being traded for Nico Iamaleava with Tennessee.

For his career at the FBS, Aguilar has completed 60.1% of passes for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He also has 452 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

“Then, when football came back around, I came back into it. Just to see like how my life shifted in just a short time,” Aguilar said. “Just people saying, like, ‘Come play. One more time. Give it one more shot.’ So, it’s kind of crazy to see.”

For the time being, Aguilar has put a career as a firefighter on hold. Instead, his focus is on winning the SEC and getting the Volunteers back to the College Football Playoff this season.

Joey Aguilar reveals his reaction to being named Tennessee starting quarterback

There was an assumption by many that Joey Aguilar would start for Tennessee when he transferred in, but he had to earn the job. Now, he’s excited for the opportunity.

“I was super excited,” Aguilar said. “I mean, coming out here and being the starting quarterback for this program is nothing but exciting me. That’s all I can say. I’m just super excited.”

Tennessee will open the season on August 30th against Syracuse. That will be a neutral site game and the first chance for Vols fans to see Aguilar take the field for them.