Vols WR Braylon Staley drops quote on QB Joey Aguilar that’s important after the way Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava parted ways
The Tennessee Vols had one of the biggest twists of the offseason when their starting quarterback, former five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava, unexpectedly left the program at the end of spring practice. Iamaleava was expected to take a big step forward in his role as a team leader for the Vols in 2025. Instead, his departure […]
The Tennessee Vols had one of the biggest twists of the offseason when their starting quarterback, former five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava, unexpectedly left the program at the end of spring practice.
Iamaleava was expected to take a big step forward in his role as a team leader for the Vols in 2025. Instead, his departure left a void in the quarterback room. It’s not that redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger or true freshman George MacIntyre — the other two scholarship quarterbacks on UT’s roster who went through spring practice — weren’t capable of being leaders. It’s that the room went from having a clear leader to essentially an open competition for that role.
Enter UCLA transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar.
When Iamaleava left the Vols for the Bruins, it opened the door for Aguilar to transfer from UCLA to Tennessee.
Aguilar, who spent the last two seasons at Appalachian State, won the Vols’ starting quarterback job after transferring to Tennessee ahead of fall camp.
The California native was terrific in his debut for the Vols, accounting for 281 total yards and three touchdowns in Tennessee’s 45-26 season-opening win against Syracuse on Saturday.
Most importantly, Aguilar has emerged as a true team leader for Tennessee’s quarterback room and for the Vols’ roster as a whole.
“Honestly, it’s a blessing, man, just to have a quarterback like that in the room,” said Vols redshirt freshman wide receiver Braylon Staley after the win against Syracuse. “He’s a leader. He’s out there confident. And I felt like we were all confident with him. We had his back. When the ball was in the air, we went to get the ball.”
Tennessee’s quarterback room could’ve easily fallen into disarray after Iamaleava’s departure. But Aguilar came in, won the job, won over his teammates, and helped keep the locker room from fracturing.
That alone gives this team a chance to accomplish something special this season. There will inevitably be some bumps in the road — nothing is ever perfect in sports, and not every play goes your way. But strong leadership at the quarterback position is a must for any team that intends to compete for a championship. And based on Staley’s comments, Tennessee is just fine in that department.
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