Comparing Starting Quarterbacks in Tennessee Football’s Opener Vs. Syracuse

Tennessee football’s game against Syracuse to open the season on Aug. 30 in Atlanta now has the pair of starting quarterbacks cemented. On Sunday night, the Vols named App State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar as their starter. On Monday morning, the Orange picked Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli.

This means both of the starting quarterbacks in the game will be spring transfer portal additions. Tennessee added Aguilar following the departure of Nico Iamaleava just prior to the annual Orange & White Game. With Iamaleava going to UCLA and pushing out Aguilar, the Vols swooped in to grab him.

Angeli spent three seasons with Notre Dame while competing in a good number of games for the Irish. He left for what presumably was a stronger opportunity to see the field and ultimately ended up at Syracuse. He beat out former LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who was briefly named the starter during spring camp by head coach Fran Brown.

Now, the pair of newcomers to their respective schools will meet on the gridiron inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for noon ET and will air on ABC.

Before the game gets underway, here’s a comparison between the quarterbacks’ stats and more to this point in their careers.

More From RTI: What Coaches, Teammates Have Said About Tennessee Starting QB Joey Aguilar This Fall Camp

2024 Season Stats

• Joey Aguilar (App State)
  • 11 games, 11 starts
  • 3,003 passing yards, 55.9% completion, 23 TD, 14 INT, 15 sacks
  • 59 carries, 207 yards, 2 TD
• Steve Angeli (Notre Dame)
  • 11 games, 0 starts
  • 268 passing yards, 66.7% completion, 3 TD, 0 INT, 5 sacks
  • 9 carries, 9 yards, 0 TD

2023 Season Stats

• Joey Aguilar (App State)
  • 14 games, 13 starts
  • 3,757 passing yards, 64.7% completion, 33 TD, 10 INT, 19 sacks
  • 81 carries, 249 yards, 3 TD
• Steve Angeli (Notre Dame)
  • 9 games, 1 start
  • 504 passing yards, 77.3% completion, 7 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks
  • 8 carries, 27 yards, 0 TD

Accolades

• Joey Aguilar
  • 2024 All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention
  • 2023 Cure Bowl MVP
  • 2023 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year
  • 2023 All-Sun Belt Second Team
• Steve Angeli
  • N/a

Recruiting Rankings

• Joey Aguilar
  • Unranked out of high school, committed to Diablo Valley (JUCO)
  • 3-star juco prospect (247), No. 179 nationally, No. 3 QB, No. 60 California
  • 3-star transfer portal (247), No. 1,110 nationally, No. 85 QB
• Steve Angeli
  • 3-star high school (247), No. 43 QB, No. 11 New Jersey
  • 3-star transfer portal (247), No. 262 nationally, No. 19 QB