This would be a funny twist to things, right? On Sunday, former Tennessee Vols superstar quarterback Nico Iamaleava committed to UCLA and he's ready to help the Bruins get to the top of the Big Ten. With his signing, it's of course bad news for Joey Aguilar.
The App State transfer arrived in Westwood thinking he'd be the starter, but he's now already out the door, entering the transfer portal on Monday morning. Pete Nakos is reporting that Tennessee is expected to be involved in trying to land him. Tulane and Wake Forest are also in the mix. Goodness:
NEW: Tennessee, Tulane, and Wake Forest are early schools to watch for UCLA transfer QB Joey Aguilar, @PeteNakos_ reports👀https://t.co/vnhmT9uKQm https://t.co/2L0f756zml pic.twitter.com/2QdywvKgrm
— On3 (@On3sports) April 21, 2025
Tennessee is expected to target UCLA transfer QB Joey Aguilar
This just goes to show how wild the transfer portal can be. Imagine if a QB swap ends up taking place and Aguilar indeed ends up signing with the Vols - it'd really be something. The 6-3, 220-pounder is coming off a strong 2024 campaign with the App State Mountaineers.
Last fall, he tossed for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns. The year before, Aguilar opened up plenty of eyes by throwing for 3,757 yards and 33 TDs. He can obviously throw the ball all over the field, but he did so against lesser competition.
He was ready to showcase his stuff in the Big Ten, but the Bruins had a change of plans and will give Iamaleava, who powered Tennessee to a 10-win season, the keys to the offense. Now that Aguilar is once again looking for a new home, a move to Knoxville would make sense for him.
Josh Heupel needs a new starting quarterback and the options via the portal aren't looking too promising. Tennessee has also been linked to Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli, but he's set to visit Syracuse first. With Tulane and Wake Forest interested, Heupel will need to act fast if he wants to bring in Aguilar to run his offense. This will be a situation to monitor closely over the next few days.