Vols tab Joey Aguilar as starting QB after Nico Iamaleava transfer

A former UCLA quarterback has been named the starter for Tennessee after the Volunteers lost their star QB to the Bruins during the offseason.
Joey Aguilar was named QB1 for Tennessee on Sunday, replacing former Volunteer Nico Iamaleava, who transferred to UCLA in April. Aguilar, who played for Appalachian State in 2023-24, initially transferred to the Bruins and was expected to take over as the starting quarterback.
But a day after the Big Ten program landed Iamaleava, Aguilar decided to leave for Knoxville, Tenn.
Volunteers coach Josh Heupel said on Friday that the senior QB was “handling himself extremely well,” noting that Aguilar seemed “extremely comfortable” guiding the Tennessee attack.
Aguilar, who beat out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger for the starting role, threw for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns in two seasons with Appalachian State.
He looks to continue where Iamaleava left off after Tennessee finished No. 7 in the final College Football Playoff rankings before falling to eventual champion Ohio State in the first round of the playoffs last season.
The Volunteers open their regular-season schedule against Syracuse in Atlanta on Aug. 30.