Josh Heupel explains why Joey Aguilar is Tennessee’s starting quarterback

Joey Aguilar winning the job as Tennessee Football’s starting quarterback didn’t come down to one thing. Instead, head coach Josh Heupel said on Tuesday, it came down to all the boxes that the UCLA transfer checked after arriving in Knoxville in May.

“Joey, through the course of training camp, each and every day, continued to grow and take steps and understand what we’re doing,” Heupel said during his press conference after Tuesday morning’s practice. “And comfort level, played well in the scrimmages, had good command. And that ultimately led to the decision that we made.”

Heupel addressed the quarterback decision for the first time publicly since it was reported Sunday.

Season Opener: Tennessee vs. Syracuse, August 30, Atlanta

Tennessee opens the regular season away from home, facing Syracuse on August 30 in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Vols open the home schedule on September 6 against ETSU.

night by Volquest’s Brent Hubbs that Aguilar had beaten out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and freshman George MacIntyre to be the starter for the Vols. The news was then confirmed by Tennessee on social media.

“(Aguilar) just continued to trend upward in his comfort and control and command of what we’re doing,” Heupel said. “That’s decision making, accuracy with the football, our checks that he controls, you put all that together and that’s ultimately why we made the decision.”

Aguilar arrived at Tennessee in May and spent the summer learning Heupel’s offense. He transferred from UCLA after former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava signed with the Bruins out of the NCAA Transfer Portal. 

Aguilar, a native of Antioch, Calif., had transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA in December, after throwing for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over 25 games in two seasons at App State.

‘I think our team has great confidence in all those guys’

Merklinger appeared in two games last season, completing 6 of 9 passes for 48 yards and running seven times for 22 yards. He was a four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, ranked as the No. 12 quarterback nationally and the No. 23 overall prospect in the state of Georgia, out of Calvary Day School in Savannah. 

MacIntyre was a four-star prospect who was a headliner in Tennessee’s 2025 class, ranked as the No. 15 quarterback in the class and the No. 3 in-state prospect, out of Brentwood Academy.

“That entire room competed at a really high level,” Heupel said. “They competed the right way, too. They pushed each other in a positive way in the meeting room, out on the practice field. I think our team has great confidence in all those guys.”