Predicting who will start at QB for Tennessee in season opener vs. Syracuse

Tennessee has a quarterback conversation that sounds a lot different today than it did two months ago before the transfer story began regarding QB Nico Iamaleava. Now, the Volunteers have just over two and a half months to determine who their new starter will be come their neutral-site opener in Mercedes-Benz Stadium

VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs previewed the Volunteers’ upcoming season in Tuesday’s episode of ‘Andy & Ari On3’. With that came the question from Staples of who he’d expect to be Tennessee’s QB1 against Syracuse in Atlanta, to which Hubbs answered with Joey Aguilar, the veteran transfer from the spring incoming from UCLA as well as Appalachian State.

“I think it’s going to be Joey Aguilar. I do,” said Hubbs. “My reasoning for that is Joey Aguilar has been on the field and has played. He’s played college football and I just think there’s something to be said for having experience.”

“I think he’s got a little bit of a gunslinger mentality. He can run a little bit. I think he can probably play, I think he’ll probably play pretty fast – maybe too fast at times. But I think he can tuck and run, and help himself that way. I just feel like, because of his experience on his resumé, it’s going to be Joey Aguilar to take the first snap and play that opener.”

Aguilar will go into the summer and fall in a quarterback competition with Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre. Hubbs, although picking Aguilar now, is anticipating or hoping for a true battle between the trio too if either the redshirt freshman or true freshman are better suited to play than fifth-year senior.

“We’ll see. Now, if he doesn’t play effectively, you know, we’ll see,” said Hubbs. “But, again, if somebody’s clearly, the best quarterback in fall camp? Man, you’ve got to play that guy or you have locker room issues because kids know who the best player is. They know who the best player is. And, if you don’t play the most effective player? It’s not a popularity contest, okay. We can talk about NIL and these kids are selfish and they’re just – they want to win and they want to be on the field with the best players…You’re not way invested into somebody compared to somebody else. Like, you know, I mean, you’re going to go play your best football players…I mean, there is no established pecking order, based on finances, based on experience.”

Coming out of the ‘trade’ between Tennessee and UCLA with Iamaleava and Aguilar too, it would have been easy to hype up Aguilar on Rocky Top. Instead, though, he has been quiet and focused on winning the job, which Hubbs credited him for ahead of said competition.

“I mean, and I will say this. I’ll say this for Joey Aguilar. I do like the fact that he has just showed up, right,” said Hubbs. “Like, he’s not done a bunch of interviews. He’s not on Instagram, he’s not on Twitter anointing his arrival, you know what I mean? There was no fanfare with him coming here. He’s just here and I think that is a very smart play by him to win the locker room over…I’m here to go try to win a job – and I think that’s a really good approach by Joey Aguilar and his people.”

Over four collegiate seasons with 41 games played at Diablo Valley CC and App State, Aguilar has completed 60% of his throws for 9,752 passing yards, good for 222 yards per game, for 77 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,071 yards, at 26.1 per game, and seven more scores. That’s at least a body of work with production as compared to two appearances and seven passes thrown for Merklinger and none for MacIntyre.

This all said about Aguilar, Hubbs thinks the best man has to win out for Tennessee considering how their quarterback spot has changed since April. Still, he thinks Aguilar will, in the end, be first onto the field for the Volunteers come August 30th against the Orange.

“I mean, this is, you go play the guy who’s best in the month of August as who plays your first snap in Atlanta,” said Hubbs. “My gut says it’s going to be Joey Aguilar but he’s going to have to go earn it.”