The Tennessee Vols’ quarterback situation this fall looks completely different than we all thought it would six months ago.

And if Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin had been successful in April, it would look even different than it currently does.

Entering spring practice, the Vols were hoping to see quarterback Nico Iamaleava take a big step forward in his understanding of Josh Heupel’s offense and in his role as a leader.

But by the end of spring practice, Iamaleava was gone, leaving a major hole at quarterback.

Tennessee quickly filled the void at quarterback, landing UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar as a transfer addition.

Aguilar, of course, entered the transfer portal when Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. Aguilar wasn’t afraid of competing with Iamaleava for the starting quarterback job at UCLA. He just knew it likely wasn’t going to be a fair competition.

It wasn’t automatic that Aguilar was going to land at Tennessee. The fit with the coaching staff had to be right. Other programs also showed interest in Aguilar.

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels were interested in adding Joey Aguilar

According to a story from On3’s Pete Nakos, Kiffin and the Rebels were one of the programs that reached out to Aguilar when he entered the transfer portal in April.

“Aguilar entered his name into the transfer portal on April 21, 118 days after leaving Appalachian State,” wrote Nakos. “Tulane and Ole Miss reached out, but the best situation was Tennessee, his father said. The Volunteers needed an experienced quarterback; Aguilar needed a place to play.”

It’s unclear why Kiffin was interested in Aguilar. After all, Ole Miss already had its starting quarterback in Austin Simmons, a former four-star recruit that Kiffin signed during the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Did Kiffin want Aguilar to serve as competition for Simmons?

Maybe.

Or did Kiffin just want to keep Aguilar away from Tennessee?

Maybe.

Perhaps Kiffin wanted to solidify the Rebels’ depth at quarterback?

Maybe.

All of the above?

Probably.

Fortunately for the Vols, Aguilar chose Rocky Top, and it certainly appears that it was a great decision.

Aguilar won the starting job during Tennessee’s fall camp. And he’s been fully embraced by the Vols fan base despite arriving in Knoxville just a few months ago (getting off to a 2-0 start helps).

We may never know what Kiffin’s true motivation was for reaching out to Aguilar. All that matters in Knoxville is that he wasn’t successful.

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ESPN has a strong take on Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar and Texas QB Arch Manning that will have Vols fans raising their eyebrows

Tennessee Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar is off to a 2-0 start as the starter on Rocky Top after leading UT to wins against Syracuse and East Tennessee State in the first two games of the season. Aguilar passed for a combined 535 yards and five touchdowns in those two wins. He didn’t play in the […]

Zach Ragan