Incoming Tennessee football quarterback Joey Aguilar is wasting no time to integrate himself with the Knoxville community.
He was posted volunteering at the East TN Children’s Hospital on Saturday, visiting different patients. Aguilar (left of featured image) was joined by Vols defensive back William Wright (middle of featured image).
“It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year!,” East TN Children’s Hospital’s Instagram caption wrote. “Yes, we mean football season 🏈🧡 Thanks for the visit, guys!”
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Aguilar joins Tennessee with the expectation to compete with redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre for the starting quarterback job. Initial expectations were that Nico Iamaleava would slide back into his starting role, but reported NIL negotiations led to a fallout between the sides. As a result, Iamaleava left in a messy transfer scenario and ended up at UCLA.
With Aguilar transferring from Appalachian State to UCLA in the winter transfer window, he saw his projected starting job with the Bruins usurped from him. He would enter the spring window, as well, and find his way to Knoxville to replace Iamaleava.
Now, after heading to play for the Bruins and spending spring camp learning his new offense, campus and teammates, he is being asked to do it all over again without much time to spare. He brings the most experience to the room of signal callers, but even the true freshman MacIntyre had the advantage of getting a spring session under his belt with Josh Heupel and company.
Aguilar went into the recent 2024 season with high expectations with the Mountaineers. After a dominant showing the year prior, he threw for 3,003 yards on a 56% completion rate. He tossed 23 touchdowns but turned the ball over with 14 interceptions in just 11 games. On the ground, he added 207 yards and two touchdowns on 59 attempts.
In 2023, Aguilar torched the App State record books. He set new program-best marks for a single season in passing yards (3,757), passing touchdowns (33), total offense (4,002), 200-yard passing games (13), pass completions (293) and pass attempts (460).
That year earned him Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year and Cure Bowl MVP as he steered App State to a 9-5 record, Sun Belt Championship Game appearance and bowl win over Miami (Ohio).
He began his career at the junior college level, playing at Diablo Valley C.C. for two seasons just outside San Francisco. Prior to that, he played for two years at Freedom High School in Antioch, California, where he earned First-team All-Bay 6 in both seasons.
