In another college football first involving Tennessee, the Vols are part of a de facto quarterback trade in the spring window of the transfer portal. With Nico Iamaleava heading to UCLA after his messy public split with the program, Tennessee is ending its search for a transfer quarterback with Joey Aguilar, the two-year starter for Appalachian State who went to UCLA in the winter portal window and was set to be the starter for the Bruins in 2025. GoVols247 can confirm that Aguilar is expected to transfer to Tennessee, as first reported by ESPN’s Chris Low on Monday night.
Aguilar, who totaled 6,760 passing yards and 56 touchdowns with 24 interceptions for the Mountaineers as their starter in 2023 and 2024, went into the portal on Monday after Iamaleava officially committed to UCLA on Sunday, and Josh Heupel and the Vols moved quickly to solidify the most important position on the field for the upcoming season.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder will join redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre in completing the quarterback room as the Vols move into life after Iamaleava.
Aguilar has one season of eligibility remaining, so his addition won’t interfere with Tennessee bringing in Faizon Brandon, the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 recruiting cycle per 247Sports, next season.
He was the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year and set the Appalachian State single-season records for passing yards (3,757), passing touchdowns (33), total offense (4,002), completions (293) and attempts (460) in his first season after transferring there from Diablo Valley Community College in his native California, where he played two seasons.
Aguilar ranked 11th in the FBS in passing (273 yards per game) last season, but saw his passer rating drop by nearly 20 points and his interception total increase from 10 to 14. He transferred to UCLA during the winter window and went through spring ball with the Bruins. Aguilar was rated a three-star transfer by 247Sports and is currently the No. 81 portal quarterback in the entire 2025 cycle.
He finished his two-year Appalachian State career fifth in program history in passing yards and passing touchdowns behind three- and four-year starters, and he threw for at least 200 yards in all 24 starters with six 300-yard games and a 400-yard game last season against East Carolina. Aguilar also had four four-touchdown games. He threw 22 touchdown passes to either tie the game or give the Mountaineers the lead during his career in Boone.
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