Josh Heupel Can’t Resist Nico Iamaleava Jab After Joey Aguilar Rescues Biggest Gamble

“There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T.” Six months ago, the Tennessee Volunteers went through a storm with QB Nico Iamaleava and his camp’s double NIL demand at the center. But HC Josh Heupel, with just one line, won the Vols fans’ hearts. Iamaleava joined UCLA just two months down the road. With him entering California, transferring Bruins QB Joey Aguilar knew he wouldn’t get the QB1 position. And so, he moved once again. This time, to the Rocky Top. Heupel’s gamble was big for the fans, who considered Iamaleava the face of their team. But with a successful debut win over Syracuse, Aguilar proved his worth. Still, Heupel cannot get past Iamaleava’s ghost.

In his post-game interview, a reporter asked Heupel, “Following up on the leadership-maturity aspect, so much has been made of the adversity that you guys faced at the end of Spring. How impressed from then until now you’ve been with the way your guys just haven’t flinched?” Heupel, as if he knew the question was coming, replied, “Yeah, adversity can divide you or it can ultimately bring you closer together too. This is a close group. Doesn’t matter in a position room, in unit room, or the other side of the football.

“They care about each other and they always expect and demand the right things from each other as well. If you wanna have a special team, your locker room’s gotta be wired that way. Can’t just be coach-driven. We spent a lot of time together in our offseason. I tried to develop that and these guys have taken great ownership of our football team.”

Although Heupel still had to think of Iamaleava despite opening the season with a win, he believes his team can continue on the winning path. The best support to his words came with Aguilar leading the Vols to a 45-26 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He kicked off the matchup with early scores.

He chipped in 16-of-28 passes for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns, along with 34 rushing yards. A dime throw to Braylon Staley in the second quarter for a 73-yard touchdown was the highlight of the game, showing off his arm strength and deep pass accuracy. It was also a contrast with what former QB Iamaleava struggled, often overthrowing his deep passes to the wide receivers. That’s where Aguilar shone during Saturday’s game day. He further posted a quarterback rating of 62.3 in Saturday’s win.

The first quarter saw some highs and lows, with the receivers dropping four throws in just two drives. But the second quarter picked up momentum with Aguilar’s touchdown. It wasn’t just the aerial attack that sliced through the defense, but the ground offense looked explosive as well. Though Aguilar only completed 57% of his passes, Vols fans are high on optimism because of his persistence. It was on full display when even after an apparent injury and multiple hits, he grinded through all four quarters.

He was asked by the coaching staff to head to the sidelines, but his willingness to continue made all the difference. Despite his debut for a power-four school, he looked poised and calm under center. And that’s why Heupel couldn’t help but boast all the positives about his new QB after the game. He told the reporters, “He is who he was on the practice field. Just very even-keeled and composed, and I thought he handled the operation really well in the football game. Just very steady. That’s a testament to who he is as a person.

“I thought the first-down conversions early in the football game were a big part of how the game was played out in the second half. From him being decisive, decision-making, accurate throw to our guys executing up front and on the perimeter, first ball game. That was a real positive early in the football game.”

After the impressive win, Joey Aguilar also commented, “Man, this feels great. It’s almost like a home game. We’re in Atlanta, but this is a good experience and I’m glad we got the win.”

Despite the receivers dropping the ball multiple times, but the 12 incompletions shouldn’t dim anyone’s hopes on the Aguilar-led offense. “You know the trust that the (Tennessee) coaches have in me, the trust the players have in me, and then vice-versa, the trust I have in them,” Aguilar said on how he was able to run the offense so well in his debut.

But the grind is still on, and a lot of work needs to be put in. This clash against Syracuse reaped fruit, but the real test lies in Week 3 against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.