Tennessee trending toward naming starting quarterback, per report
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Tennessee is close to naming transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar as its new starting QB for the 2025 season, according to a report by On3 on Wednesday.
The report suggests that Aguilar, who bolted to Tennessee from UCLA after Nico Iamaleava left Knoxville for UCLA, has the inside track on the job amid a fierce quarterback battle in fall camp. Aguilar is a California native who’s had a winding road in the collegiate ranks that was capped by 2 seasons at Appalachian State.
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It appeared that Aguilar was all set to try to win the quarterback job at UCLA, but things changed mightily amid a chaotic spring when Iamaleava shocked the college football world and transferred to UCLA. That sent Aguilar from Pasadena to Knoxville, and now he reportedly is on the brink of winning a battle with true freshman George MacIntyre and redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his coaching staff haven’t confirmed anything regarding the winner of the QB battle, amid the report that Aguilar is pulling away in the competition.
ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy said on his Always College Football podcast on Wednesday not to assume that Aguilar is going to win the job.
The Volunteers’ regular-season opener is just a few weeks away, so the quarterback drama will sort itself out very soon as the team gets ready to face Syracuse on Aug. 30. Kickoff for the opener is set for noon ET on ABC.
When the game kicks off, the Vols’ replacement for Iamaleava in 2025 will take center stage, whether it’s Aguilar or not.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
