April was a whirlwind of quarterback swaps, and the Tennessee Volunteers felt the shake-up. Nico Iamaleava, their former signal-caller, headed to UCLA amid the NIL hoopla. That’s when former UCLA QB, Joey Aguilar, stepped into the spotlight, ready to take the reins under Josh Heupel. Joey came up with a fiery message: “I’m ready to get to work, compete at the highest level, and build something special with my teammates and coaches. I can’t wait to get to Rocky Top! I’m ready to Give My All for Tennessee.” Recreating the Iamaleava era won’t be easy. But Joey isn’t fazed. Toughness runs in his blood. Thanks to his father, who’s made sure he’s built to withstand the pressure.

While Heupel pulled the brakes on Iamaleava, who tried to squeeze in some extra dollars, he paid $1.2 million to Joey. But is it going to be a lucky bet or a failed gamble? Doubts pile behind his name. Recently, ESPN analyst Roddy Jones also joined Team Joey Aguilar Doubters. However, the quarterback carries with him his dad’s teachings that help him keep distractions at bay. 

On August 29, the Tennessee Football posted a clip of Joey’s recent podcast. The host wanted to know the quarterback’s thoughts on his “nothing in my life has been given to me” comment. In a time when nepotism attacks rule the college football world, his dad, Jose Aguilar, being a coach himself, pushed him to the edge to constantly challenge himself and be better. No easy passes for his son. “It’s pretty much plain and simple, like what it says, you know. Even though my dad was my coach, I wasn’t a starter, you know, he would throw me in there, and I would still have to work to be that guy,” shared Joey. 

He had to put consistent efforts to climb the ladder; nothing was served to his plate hot and ready. Joey went to Freedom High School in Oakley. There, he threw for 5,575 yards with 59 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his final two prep seasons. His next stop at JUCO was at Diablo Valley Community College in central California in 2021, where he completed 126-of-197 passes (64.0 percent) for 1,446 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions in six games. Joey then started as a backup quarterback behind Ryan Burger for his junior year at Appalachian State.

Taking lessons from his growth along the way, the quarterback shared, “In high school, same thing. JUCO went in as a backup, had to earn the starting job. App State went in as a backup, had to earn the starting job. So it just shows me, like, it’s even more than football, you know what I mean? If you go into life, into real life, and expect things to be given to you, you’re not going to get anything. So you just got to work and keep your head down and try to strive for what you want.” Joey’s dad must be proud that his son is carrying on his teachings. After all, behind what the Tennessee quarterback is today, his dad has been a rock of support. 

A time when doubt nearly forced Joey Aguilar to walk away from football

Joey Aguilar’s dad taught him that no work is small until you are independent. While playing football at City College of San Francisco out of high school, the quarterback spent his weekends working at his dad’s business detailing and washing cars. Joey has been doing it since he was 14 years old. Being totally disillusioned about what his future had in store in football, the young chap was almost on the brink of giving up.

Spending $100 per week on long train rides felt heavy on Joey’s pockets, and he even thought of going to firefighter school to earn a job in the future. That’s when his dad, Jose, stood there supporting his son’s dreams. In an interview, the proud dad said, “But I told him that I’d go broke before I let him quit football. Nothing comes easy. You’ve got to earn everything.”

In the Tennessee squad, Joey comes off as the hard-working, down-to-earth, and underdog quarterback. However, his next task is to prove his doubters wrong. Right now, Joey’s ability to usher Heupel’s squad to the playoffs is the biggest question. On the Locked on College Football podcast, Eric Cain did not sound 100% confident.

“[Joey] He’s just got to protect the football. He turned the football over a ton this past year. He had a record-setting year in 2023 with App State school records and all that,” said the analyst. Joey’s got a cannon for an arm and can light up the scoreboard, but he also has a little bit of a turnover bug. Back in the 2024 season, he threw 14 interceptions. 

This was then doubled down by Roddy Jones, who on the ESPN College Football podcast shared, “Joey Aguilar led the nation in interceptions a year ago with 14 at App State. So, he’s going to have to cut down on that.” Time for Aguilar to file the pricky edges and come off as the sharpest nail in the Vols squad.