Through four games, it’s hard to find a quarterback playing better than Tennessee football’s Joey Aguilar. The spring transfer has wasted no time getting comfortable in the offense, and the results are showing on the field. Due to the hot start, he’s seen a dramatic boost in his Heisman Trophy odds set by Vegas.
After the win over UAB this past Saturday, Aguilar’s odds to win the coveted award are now at +1400, according to FanDuel. This is tied with Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton and TCU quarterback Josh Hoover for the fifth-best in the nation. The favorite at the moment is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Second place goes to Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, with third place a tie between Miami quarterback Carson Beck and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore.
This is a small boost after his incredible performance against Georgia. He exited the game against the Bulldogs with +1600 odds to win the prestigious trophy. He entered the season at +8000 and went into the Georgia game at +5000.
If Aguilar does win the award, he’d be the first Vol to ever take home the trophy. Peyton Manning was a finalist in his last year in Knoxville, but was snubbed in the decision, losing to Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson. Current wide receiver Chris Brazzell has also emerged as a dark-horse option this year, but has no odds listed.
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Most recently, Aguilar played the first half and the opening drive of the second half against UAB before giving the reins of the offense to backup Jake Merklinger. In this time, he produced 218 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-22 passing. He did throw his third interception of the year, but there was some contact on the route that wasn’t penalized before the ball popped into the air for the pick.
His next test will be his first road game as an SEC signal caller. He’ll be traveling to a hostile Starkville to meet Mississippi State on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
According to FanDuel, on the morning of Sept. 21, Tennessee is a 10.5-point favorite in the game. On the moneyline, you can get UT at -360 and MSU at +280.
So far, the money and bets are swarming to the Vols. According to FanDuel’s metrics, 64% of the money and 80% of bettors have picked Tennessee to cover the spread. At this point, UT is 3-1 against the spread on FanDuel. Mississippi State has covered in all four of its wins, as well.
