Joey Aguilar was named Tennessee's starting quarterback Sunday, beating out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger for the job.

The Nico Iamaleava NIL escapade at Tennessee ended up in, basically, a trade. Iamaleava left the program over a monetary dispute. He transferred to UCLA. And Aguilar transferred from UCLA to Tennessee.

Aguilar started his career being named the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in 2023. He ended that season with MVP honors of the Cure Bowl, where he threw for 211 yards and rushed for a touchdown in a win over Miami (OH). In 2024, he was an All-Sun Belt honorable mention after starting 11 games.