Josh Heupel details decision to name Joey Aguilar starting QB
By Derek Hryn
Published:
Joey Aguilar winning Tennessee football‘s starting quarterback job didn’t come down to one single thing.
As head coach Josh Heupel explained Tuesday, it was about all of the little details stacking up over the past few months.
“Joey through this week and really what he’s done through training camp, learning what we’re doing offensively as we get ready for Syracuse here at the end of the week, then making sure things that are in play he feels good about,” Heupel said. “That’s one of the things with young quarterbacks, with new quarterbacks, is getting them to be transparent in those things. Joey through the course of training camp, each and every day continue to grow .. comfortable in what we’re doing, played well in the scrimmages, had good command. That ultimately led to a decision that we made.”
Aguilar, who transferred from UCLA on Apr. 21 after a short stint, arrived in Knoxville in May and wasted no time earning trust inside the program.
Tennessee’s hopes for a return trip to the College Football Playoff may hinge on Aguilar’s arm in 2025. The former App State standout threw for more than 6,000 yards and 56 touchdowns across two seasons in 2023 and 2024.
