Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar will play in this month’s Music City Bowl against Illinois, the signal caller told the local media on Tuesday. Aguilar does not project as an NFL draft pick so it’s not overly surprising that he’s playing in the bowl game. However, the two sides could have agreed for him not to play and for Tennessee’s backup quarterbacks to get game reps.
“It’s a game and I’m blessed to go out and play it one more time,” Aguilar said. “If it’s my last game or not, I’m excited to go out there with this team one more time. Grateful for the coaches and program and community for accepting me this year. Just one more time to go out there and show out.”
Aguilar is closing out his first season at Tennessee. He started all 12 regular season games, completing 258-of-356 passes for 3,444 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was less of a threat with his legs but still added 104 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
The Antioch, California native threw for over 300 yards in four of eight SEC games, exceeding the clip against Georgia, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Oklahoma.
Turnover issues were a major concern for Aguilar after transferring from Appalachian State over the offseason. Aguilar managed those issues well for much of the season but it reared its ugly head in a number of games, totaling four multi-interception performances.
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Aguilar is likely out of college eligibility following this season unless the NCAA changes its eligibility rules regarding athletes who played at a junior college.
It’s unclear exactly what Tennessee’s plan at quarterback is without Aguilar next season. Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger could return to Tennessee next season as is the case for true freshman George MacIntyre. The Vols also signed five-star prep quarterback Faizon Brandon two weeks ago during the early signing period.
Tennessee could also look to add a quarterback in the transfer portal while giving its underclassmen signal callers another year to develop on the bench before stepping into a larger role.
The Vols are currently 2.5-point favorites against Illinois in the Music City Bowl according to the DKSportsbook. The over/under is set at 60.5
Tennessee faces off against Illinois on Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. Kickoff between the Vols and Fighting Illini is at 5:30 p.m. ET. ESPN is broadcasting the game.
