We are now less than three months away from the start of the 2025 season and Tennessee football fans can't wait. Obviously, things are going to be a little bit different with Nico Iamaleava no longer in Knoxville - he's home in Los Angeles getting ready for Year 1 with UCLA.
Could this actually end up being a good thing for Josh Heupel and the Vols? That's what 247Sports analyst J.D. Pickell has in mind. With Nico gone, the door has opened for App State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar to take over the offense. If you ask Pickell, Aguilar will have the O humming this fall:
Tennessee will have better QB production in 2025 with Joey Aguilar than they did with Nico Iamaleava
— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) June 7, 2025
Here’s why:https://t.co/0Z8kZfKg1L pic.twitter.com/CvQqJMNUBN
Tennessee fans are confident Joey Aguilar will outperform Nico Iamaleava in 2025
"Joey Aguilar will have a better statistical season than Nico Iamaleava had in 2024," Pickell said with passion. "Now this sounds a little bit harsh, but Joey Aguilar having a better year statistically - it's not that hard. Nico threw for 19 touchdowns last year, five interceptions. It was good enough to get to the College Football Playoff, 2,600 yards, cool, but Joey Aguilar in a down year at App State threw for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. He's going to let it rip. Personality wise, the way he plays the game is different than Nico Iamaleava."
Goodness. Pickell went on to add that Aguilar is not afraid to cut it loose and that he's going to take some chances with the Vols. Will there be some turnovers and throws that he wants back? Of course, that's always going to be the case when it comes to a gunslinger.
However, Pickell's latest take here is another reminder that the 2025 season could still be one to remember for the Vols. Yes, seeing Iamaleava bolt for UCLA continues to sting and it's news that Tennessee fans remain pretty ticked off about.
However, with him now running the show at UCLA, it opened the door for Aguilar to leave Westwood and sign with Tennessee. Heupel is an offensive genius and there's loads of talent both for the passing attack and ground game.
Plenty of points are still going to be scored by the Vols and Aguilar will have what it takes to silence so many of his doubters. We'll have to wait and see how the start of the season plays out, but Pickell is confident that Aguilar will have Tennessee looking stellar once again in '25.