UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar is expected to transfer to Tennessee football, per multiple reports, swapping places with Nico Iamaleava in the latest strange chapter of this offseason saga.
Aguilar is a veteran quarterback who broke records at Appalachian State and transferred to UCLA in December. He was in line to be the Bruins’ starting quarterback until Iamaleava came on the scene.
Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. He entered the portal after leaving Tennessee over a dispute about NIL pay, although his representatives claim it was because of problems with the Vols offense.
Aguilar passed for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns in two seasons at Appalachian State. Before that, he passed for almost 3,000 yards and 21 TDs in two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College in Pleasant Hill, California.
He has one season of eligibility remaining because the NCAA granted a blanket waiver to junior college transfers for one additional year.
Aguilar can compete with UT redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger for the starting job in the 2025 season. They will replace Iamaleava, who helped UT to the College Football Playoff last season but left the program after NIL negotiations broke down.
The transfer portal is open April 16-25.
Joey Aguilar stats at Appalachian State before UCLA
Aguilar is experienced with 41 games played in college, including 24 starts at Appalachian State.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is from Antioch, California. He did not receive a Division I scholarship offer out of high school. But he had a successful stint in junior college, which drew multiple FBS offers. He was in line to sign with Coastal Carolina, but a coaching change re-directed his recruitment to Appalachian State.
In 2023, Aguilar was the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year and the Cure Bowl MVP after breaking multiple school records. He passed for 3,757 yards, 33 TDs and 10 interceptions. And he rushed for 249 yards and three TDs.
In 2024, Aguilar passed for 3,003 yards, 23 TDs and 14 interceptions. And he rushed for 207 yards and two TDs.
That landed him a transfer to UCLA, but his time there was short.
Who Tennessee football has at quarterback
UT has two other scholarship quarterbacks, Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre.
Merklinger, a former four-star recruit, passed for 48 yards in two games as a freshman in 2024. He was the No. 11 quarterback in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
MacIntyre, a four-star recruit, signed with UT in the 2025 class and enrolled in January. The former Brentwood Academy standout was ranked the No. 13 quarterback in the 2025 class.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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