Josh Heupel recalls when he realized Joey Aguilar would be a good fit for Tennessee

In April, Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava entered the transfer portal after he and Tennessee couldn’t agree on a new NIL deal. The situation put the Volunteers in a difficult position.

Tennessee didn’t have another experienced quarterback on its roster. Moreover, it was nearly summertime and almost all of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal had already found new homes. Thankfully for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, another option emerged.

After Iamaleava committed to UCLA in the transfer portal, Bruins quarterback Joey Aguilar entered the portal. Aguilar had committed to UCLA via the portal in the winter with expectations to start. However, he had no interest in serving as Iamaleava’s backup and began searching for a new home.

Tennessee was a natural fit. After Tennessee’s first fall camp practice on Wednesday, Josh Heupel reflected on the moment he knew Aguilar was the man for the job.

“I think the maturity that he demonstrated on the phone, as you get a chance to go through his history, what matters to him and what he’s looking for, what he cares about, fit the culture piece of it,” Heupel said. “Obviously, studied the film as well. So I felt like it had a chance to be a really good fit at that point.”

Before transferring to UCLA in the winter, Aguilar had spent two seasons at Appalachian State. In his two years with the Mountaineers, Aguilar amassed 6,760 passing yards and 56 touchdowns while throwing 24 interceptions.

In the ground game, Aguilar recorded 456 total rushing yards and five scores. His 3,757 passing yards in the 2023 campaign are the most in a single season in program history. He also shattered the record for passing touchdowns (33) in a single season that year.

While Heupel hasn’t named Joey Aguilar Tennessee’s QB1 yet, the veteran QB is the favorite to land the starting spot. Heupel has been happy with Aguilar’s work ethic thus far.

“The timing of when he got here, unique. Not something that we haven’t had before, but it applies an urgency that’s always there,” Heupel said. “But as late as he’s getting here, man, super urgent in him being able to get exposed, digest and become comfortable with what we’re doing.

“If you’re playing quarterback, and you’re back there thinking, you got no chance. So it’s got to become second nature. It’s got to become your primary language. And he’s worked really hard with that.”