Joey Aguilar has been a big reason why the Vols have won six games through the first eight games of the year and have been in contention for both losses. Aguilar has totaled 2,344 passing yards and 18 touchdowns this year, leading Tennessee’s offense to average 45.6 points per game, the second-highest in the country.
During the summer, Tennessee looked like losers in the Nico Iamaleava-Joey Aguilar “trade” with UCLA. A few months and a 6-2 record later, and Tennessee looks like one of the biggest transfer portal winners with Aguilar.
While Aguilar isn’t a part of the national media hype or Heisman race, he has been efficient and effective for the Vols. That’s why On3 Sports’ Chris Low has named him the biggest snub of October.
“Where is Aguilar on all these Heisman Watch lists?” Low questions. “Maybe he’s not one of the favorites to win it, but he’s having a great season and leads the SEC in nearly every statistical category for quarterbacks.
"Granted, stats aren’t everything, but Aguilar has been the heartbeat of a Tennessee offense ranked second nationally in scoring offense (45.6 points per game). Let’s not forget that he didn’t get to campus until late May and had about three months to work with his receivers after Tennessee and UCLA swapped quarterbacks. Something says the Vols would make that trade again … and again.”
While Aguilar won’t be one of the top names this year when the best quarterbacks are discussed, he has certainly done enough to receive national recognition for his performance through the first two-thirds of the season.
He will have another chance to prove it with Oklahoma in town. The Vols need a win over the 19th-ranked Sooners to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Tennessee and Oklahoma are set to kick off at 7:30 PM ET on ABC.