'That's not going to be Joey Aguilar' — national talking head explains key trait regarding newest Tennessee Vols QB that could be a major change from Nico Iamaleava
There were a number of times during the 2024 season where the Tennessee Vols' passing game simply couldn't get going, particularly with the deep ball down the field. That was for a number of reasons. Included among them was former QB Nico Iamaleava's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of letting it loose to […]
There were a number of times during the 2024 season where the Tennessee Vols' passing game simply couldn't get going, particularly with the deep ball down the field. That was for a number of reasons. Included among them was former QB Nico Iamaleava's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of letting it loose to an open receiver deep down the field, particularly during SEC play.
On3 Sports' J.D. Pickell sees a different potential result in 2025 with App State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar. Pickell noted recently that Aguilar's "let it rip" personality could help ignite a deep passing attack that appeared to lack confidence at times in 2024.
"The experience factor for Joey Aguilar and what he brings to the table here is very different than what you had with Nico Iamaleava. And you may not see it so much on the broadcast through the first watch, but over the course of the season, as you watch the kind of football Joey Aguilar plays with, if nothing else, it's going to be confident.
"And so I love that for Tennessee because it gives you an authoritative presence in your offense should he end up winning the job. It's a very different personality playing quarterback for you than Nico Iamaleava from a play style perspective. Joey Aguilar is going to cut it loose, man. He's going to let it rip.
"And also I have to believe now, I don't have any numbers to back this up, but just based on watching the guy and going back and watching stuff at App State, he's going to have a higher degree of connection on those deep balls than what Nico Iamaleava had this past season at Tennessee. That's not to say Nico Iamaleava couldn't have gotten there, but it was a projection, right? You were hoping it would eventually happen. How many times as a Tennessee fan were you feeling one of two things: either A, you're sitting there and saying, 'man, he was open, I wish Nico would have let it rip', as one thought, or B, saying, 'man, he was open, why did we not connect on that?'
"That's not going to be Joey Aguilar. He will cut it loose early, often. He does not have a shy trigger finger by any sorts of the imagination. And so you love that if you're Tennesse, and you also love the fact that he's going to be able to, I think, connect again on a lot of those a lot more frequently." – J.D. Pickell, On3 Sports
Aguilar indeed has shown that willingness to take risks and push the ball down the field. A gunslinger mentality. And naturally that has yielded both good and bad results for the ex-Mountaineer, which is typical for types of players who play by the mantra of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians: no risk it, no biscuit.
Aguilar threw for 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 2023, but that ratio switched to 23/14 in 2024, with Aguilar's 14 interceptions being the most in all of FBS. The latter is something that he'll have to cut down on this fall.
Fortunately, Josh Heupel's offense has brought the best out of his quarterbacks in that regard during his tenure, as his starting quarterbacks have thrown no more than 5 interceptions (2023, 2024) in a single season.
If Heupel can get that big play ability out of Aguilar and cut down on the interceptions, then perhaps Tennessee fans will be cheering on more big plays in the passing game in 2025.
Tennessee Vols five-star commit Faizon Brandon earns a recognition from Elite 11 camp that bodes well for his future in Knoxville
The Vols’ top 2026 recruit left quite an impression at the star-studded event
