Joey Aguilar reveals timeline from UCLA departure to Tennessee commitment

The college football world was turned upside down in April when Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava announced his departure from the program just months after leading the ‘Vols to the College Football Playoff. Iamaleava ended up at UCLA, where he will be the Bruins’ starting quarterback this season.

In turn, UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar (who transferred from Appalachian State in December) hopped back in the Transfer Portal and ended up in Knoxville. He will likely be Tennessee‘s starting quarterback this season, although head coach Josh Heupel has yet to rule out quarterbacks Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre.

Aguilar, who is entering his third season as a starting quarterback, detailed his move to Tennessee during a media opportunity on Tuesday.

“Yeah it was a one day turnaround,” Aguilar said. “I got in [the Transfer Portal] at like 9:00 in the morning and I think I committed around 8:00 at night. There was no time to waste. I was leaving in like May or something like that so I had no time to go out there and shop around for a school. Whoever needed me, I needed to go and make that decision where I needed to be at and then get things rolling.”

“You kind of watch Tennessee and you know the history and what the program does. Once they reached out, it was pretty quick for me. Especially talking to coach [Josh] Heupel, they all made me feel comfortable and made my decision easy.”

The Antioch, CA native spent two years as the starting quarterback at Appalachian State, where he threw for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. The Mountaineers went 14-11 in that span with a win over Miami (OH) in the 2023 Cure Bowl.

“I did have a lot of schools contact me,” Aguilar continued. “But I narrowed it down pretty quick.”

Aguilar has high expectations to live up to at Tennessee, as recent quarterbacks Hendon Hooker and Nico Iamaleava have shined in Knoxville. He’ll lead the Volunteers offense this season, although it looks much different than it did last season.

It lost its top four offensive playmakers in running back Dylan Sampson and wide receivers Dont’e Thornton Jr, Bru McCoy and Squirrel White this offseason, but this has allowed for receivers Mike Matthews and Chris Brazzell II to climb up the depth chart.

Tennessee opens its 2025 campaign on Aug. 30 in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes Benz Stadium against Syracuse. Kick-off is scheduled for 12:00 PM on ABC.