Joey Aguilar was named the Tennessee Vols’ starting quarterback; Boo Carter was hoping a different quarterback would win the job
Former UCLA Bruins quarterback Joey Aguilar was officially named the Tennessee Vols’ starting quarterback on Sunday evening. Aguilar, who transferred from UCLA to Tennessee in April in the wake of Nico Iamaleava’s transfer from Tennessee to UCLA, beat out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre for the job. Tennessee opens the season […]
Former UCLA Bruins quarterback Joey Aguilar was officially named the Tennessee Vols’ starting quarterback on Sunday evening.
Aguilar, who transferred from UCLA to Tennessee in April in the wake of Nico Iamaleava’s transfer from Tennessee to UCLA, beat out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre for the job.
Tennessee opens the season on Aug. 30 in Atlanta against Syracuse. The timing of the Vols’ quarterback decision means that Aguilar will have two full weeks of preparation as the starter before the season-opener.
It’s no surprise that Aguilar won the job. He was the favorite all along. The fact that Merklinger reportedly struggled at times during fall camp likely made it an easy decision.
In the spring, Vols defensive back Boo Carter made it clear he was pulling for Merklinger to win the job.
“I think they’re (MacIntyre and Merklinger) ready,” said Carter in April during an interview with SportTalk Chattanooga. “Jake’s ready. He’s already got a year under his belt [after playing] behind Nico. I feel like he feels confident. He’s trying to get the boys together, all the receivers together. He’s gotta compete with the new transfer (Aguilar) coming in, but hopefully my boy Jake gets the job done. George, he be getting right. He’s a freshman quarterback, he’s pretty long, lengthy. He can throw it and run, so I feel like he’s going to be a good pick in a couple of years, the next year or two.”
When Carter made those comments in the spring, he was expected to play a significant role in Tennessee’s 2025 offense.
But after missing several team activities in the summer, which put Carter’s roster spot in jeopardy, it’s unclear if the Chattanooga native will see time on offense this fall.
As for Carter’s take on the quarterback battle, perhaps he’s had a change of heart after watching Aguilar in practice. But all we know for sure is that the only quarterback that Carter publicly endorsed won’t be the starter when the Vols open the season later this month.
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