Tennessee fall camp practices have an extra sense of urgency this year with an ongoing quarterback battle taking place each day on Rocky Top.
The story is well-known by now. You have App State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar as the veteran addition, Jake Merklinger as the inexperienced but energetic returner, and Georgia MacIntyre as the true freshman new guy. While it’s most likely that either Aguilar or Merklinger will get the nod because of their experience, whether it be at Tennessee or in college football in general, those are the contestants in the running when the Vols step into the facility each morning.
Predictions vary amongst media members and fans regarding which quarterback will take the job. Perhaps it’ll be Aguilar, someone who has garnered plenty of talk from those two entities based on his previous two seasons with the Mountaineers.
During his first year starting at App State in 2023, Aguilar earned a gunslinger title. He passed for more than 3,700 yards on 460 attempts with a 63.7 completion percentage. The 6-foot-3 quarterback also added 33 touchdown passes, three rushing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Things did take a hit in 2024, though, especially in the touchdown-to-interception ratio. Last season, Aguilar threw for 3,003 yards on 390 attempts (55.9% passing) with 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He’s got a big arm and the ability to throw it all around the field, but the turnovers are something that have been noteworthy as he battles for UT’s open job.
As speculation continues throughout the preseason, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy gave his opinion on the subject during a recent episode of Omaha Productions’ Always College Football podcast.
“Aguilar is a guy that I have a ton of respect for,” McElroy said. “The guy was given no flowers as a prospect coming out of high school. He started college at community college, transfers to App State. Very few were throwing a parade upon his arrival, but he has an unbelievable 2023 season. I mean, he completed 64 percent of his passes, 33-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Now, that was two years ago. It was not quite as good last year. But if you look at the reasons why, offensively, yes, Aguilar’s stats weren’t quite where you want them to be. But the reason why App State struggled so badly last year was because of their defense. I think this is a great pickup for Tennessee. Now, skillset-wise, he doesn’t have as much natural ability as Nico Iamaleava. That’s fine. This guy has played a lot of football. I think this is a great situation for Tennessee to bridge the gap to one of their talented freshmen.”
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Aguilar’s style might have some downsides, but the upsides are there as well. It’ll be up to him to go out there during fall camp and prove that he can not only be capable of running the Vols’ offense, but also take care of the football while still keeping his aggression down the field.
Tennessee’s got a lot to think about and consider when it comes to its ongoing quarterback battle this fall, but former collegiate quarterbacks Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle know what they’re looking for out of a winner. We’ll just have to wait a bit longer to see who emerges from that race in week one.
“Someone’s got to take it,” Halzle said at the beginning of camp. “Someone’s got to step up and take it, prove it. And there’s multiple ways to do that. Obviously, as soon as you can get to that guy and let your guys start rallying behind one person and understanding their skill set and tailoring the offense to them, the better. But we can’t be in a rush to do that because if it doesn’t present itself organically, then you’re just going to be trying to put a square piece in a round hole.”
Check out the full clip from ESPN and Omaha Productions’ Greg McElroy below.
