UCLA (and former Appalachian State) quarterback Joey Aguilar plans to enter the transfer portal and sign with Tennessee, 247Sports confirms. It’s the latest domino to fall as a result of the Nico Iamaleava saga. Iamaleava, the top prospect in 247Sports’ transfer rankings, signed with the Bruins on Easter Sunday.
Aguilar is an experienced starter with proven production at the Group of Five level, and if there’s one school that makes too much sense, it’s Tennessee, Iamaleava’s old team.
Indeed, the Vols and Bruins are reportedly initiating an unintentional and unprecedented quarterback “trade,” given that Iamaleava departed Knoxville for Los Angeles after his public name, image and likeness “contract negotiations” fell apart. That put the Vols in a position where they have been actively seeking a new starter via the transfer portal.
Aguilar may have just fallen in their lap.
Tennessee’s staff is almost certainly familiar with Aguilar, given that he spent two seasons as the starting quarterback at nearby Appalachian State. In that span, Aguilar won 14 games and threw for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns. He was the 2023 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year after transferring in from Diablo Valley College.
On paper, he’s the perfect target for a quarterback-needy team, and few programs now need a quarterback more than Tennessee. However, there are some concerns with Aguilar. His 2024 efforts were a disappointment in comparison to his breakout 2023 showing at Appalachian State. His completion percentage dropped from 63.7% in 2023 to 55.9% last season; he failed to complete at least 60% of his passes in eight out of 11 games, which might not mesh well with a Tennessee offense that relies on rhythm to maintain its pace.
He also had 14…
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