Even though Joey Aguilar’s move to Tennessee may not be hair-raising, he certainly made a substantial impact on the field. Despite missing close games against Alabama and Georgia, this guy took them on a 6-2 run. Now? He’s turning heads by getting his name on the Davey O’Brien Foundation QB class of 2025 list. The best part is that among three dozen quarterbacks from all over the nation, Aguilar is the one sharing this moment with Ty Simpson. And true to form, his mom is over the moon, cheering him the loudest.

The Davey O’Brien award recognizes the best signal-caller every year, and this time it features 18 seniors, 10 juniors, five sophomores, and three freshmen. And Joey Aguilar’s name is one of them. This nomination makes it a turning point in his career, and his biggest cheerleader, Lydia Aguilar, was right to hype his son.

The moment Tennessee Football posted the news on X with a caption that reads, “Joey has been named to the @daveyobrien QB Class of 2025.” Lydia didn’t waste a single moment before resharing the tweet, showing her immense support for her son. Ty Simpson also made the class, as he has passed for 2,184 yards and an OBR rating of 81.9. It’s a great honor for both of these gifted athletes to receive the recognition they deserve.

Returning to Aguilar, his name appearing on the Davey O’Brien award list makes sense, as this man’s production is the reason behind the Volunteers’ position in the league. They are not just in position to compete in the SEC title game but might also appear in the CFP for the second straight season. Completing 166 of 252 passes for 2,344 yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions with 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries, with Heisman and early draft pick buzz, makes Aguilar a clear leader.

But all of this wouldn’t be possible without his mother’s support, whose world revolves around Joey Aguilar. She worked as an emergency room secretary, doing 12-hour shifts throughout Aguilar’s childhood, to ensure she could provide for her family. With that, she constantly supported his dreams and was a constant fixture at his games during his time at App State. It continued in Tennessee, too, as she visited the Vols’ game against Georgia on September 13.

Like every mother, she couldn’t hold back her tears watching Aguilar walk onto the field ahead of their game. Interestingly, Lydia Aguilar missed none of Joey’s games until his game against UAB this year. But she had her own reasons, as she had to be there at home beside her newborn grandson, Leo, who was just born a day ahead of the kickoff. Lydia even posted his picture on X wearing his uncle’s number and Vols striped tee: “The reason why I’m watching from home,” Lydia Aguilar said. “Tio Joey’s #1 fan—my grandson, Leo”

Well, with his mother, Joey Aguilar’s family has been his rock on the sidelines this season. His 82-year-old grandmother made a trip to California for the Vols’ home opener against ETSU, and a total of 12 family members were sitting in the north end zone cheering him through his record-breaking 72-17 win. Now that fans can play a role again this year in the Davey O’Brien Award by voting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, which will count as bonus votes, his mother’s hype might influence Aguilar’s fate.

With that momentum, even Josh Heupel can’t stop praising his QB.

Josh Heupel’s vote of confidence in Joey Aguilar

Joey Aguilar came in strong against Kentucky as he threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns, connecting on every deep pass. That even Josh Heupel couldn’t hold back his admiration for them. “He has not (hit his ceiling),” Heupel said. “He’s eight games into this. But you still don’t know what you’ve got until the lights come on.”

After the Kentucky game, he stands among the elite company of 6 Tennessee quarterbacks who have thrown for more yards in a single game. “There are things that we can certainly clean up,” Heupel admitted. “And we’ll need to as we keep going through conference play.”

But with Aguilar’s success, defense remains their primary concern, which might affect their playoff chances, as Kentucky’s QB Cutter Boley threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns. If that goes on, then going up against Oklahoma’s John Mateer would be a challenging task.

Still, Aguilar’s offense is thriving, averaging the SEC’s best 45.6 points per game, which can give him a boost. Let’s wait and see how their game against Oklahoma turns out.