It's time to move forward with the new signal-caller in town. The Tennessee Vols recently wrapped up spring camp, but once fall camp gets here, all eyes are going to be on quarterback Joey Aguilar instead of former 5-star signee Nico Iamaleava.
Nico is off to UCLA and people can't stop talking about his questionable decision to leave Knoxville to play for the Bruins. However, Heupel is putting the past in the past and he's focused on Aguilar doing what he can to not only win the QB1 job, but also to make this a memorable season with the Vols.
While at App State, Aguilar tossed the ball all over the field - there's a reason UCLA handed him an NIL deal worth north of $1 million prior to Iamaleava moving to Westwood. If you ask Josh Heupel, there's no doubt in his mind Aguilar will be able to get the job done for him:
Josh Heupel on Joey Aguilar:
— Reece Van Haaften (@Reece_VH) April 30, 2025
"He has the ability to throw the ball vertically. He's accurate and on time in the intermediate passing game. (He) has the ability to use his feet to extend plays, but you can use him in the quarterback run game, too." #Vols pic.twitter.com/DiZGMa0tDx
Josh Heupel is quite confident in Joey Aguilar taking over for Nico Iamaleava
Seeing that clip, you can tell Heupel indeed has a lot of confidence in the UCLA transfer. Plenty of Vols fans are pretty darn worried about the future for this team, as things are feeling a bit unclear leading up to 2025.
Just a month ago, did anyone imagine that Iamaleava would leave town and sign with a Big Ten squad? It felt like Tennessee had nothing to worry about at QB or for the offense as a whole. If anything, the focus was on the program bringing in a new wideout or two for Iamaleava to add to his list of weapons.
Instead, the shocking news came in, which is still tough to believe. Regardless of that, the focus has shifted and Aguilar has the opportunity to come in and become a cult hero for Vols Nation. People have already wasted no time showering him with love and it's only going to help his popularity with Heupel backing him the way he did this week.