Rival factions will have you thinking the orange has been squashed. That all the momentum Tennessee had garnered so far under HC Josh Heupel has seeped out via the puncture that was the Nico Iamaleava ordeal. But the Vols aren’t conceding defeat; they’re doubling down. Conceded, the ‘25 season may entail a bit of a backward step after their inaugural CFP appearance in 2024. But the picture from 2026 onward doesn’t look half bad. As Mark Twain famously said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” That’s probably the sentiment in Knoxville right now. Rocky Top may well be back rocking sooner than you’d think. 

The quarterback forms the foundation of your recruiting class. So, getting an early commitment can really supercharge the rest of the cycle. If that QB is ranked no. 1 in the country, a damn-near 6-star, it fans the flames of this recruitment drive. Tennessee and Josh Heupel already have a verbal from Faizon Brandon as their signal caller. The pièce de résistance in their class of ‘26. But the Vols aren’t resting on their laurels. Every quarterback needs a good supporting cast to thrive. Not just on the perimeter and receiving corps but in the backfield, too. 

Tennessee fans may not want to hear it after the ugly divorce they had with their QB1, but Nico Iamaleava was a good player. That much is unequivocal. However, what accentuated his performances and game was his running back, Dylan Sampson. Now, in the NFL, Sampson was arguably the driving force behind Tennessee’s push all the way to the playoffs. Josh Heupel, the offensive whiz that he is, knows you need dynamism in your offense. A running game that can complement Faizon Brandon will really take this team, and by extension, program, to unprecedented heights. Well, Heupel’s trying to do just that. How do you best support a nation-best, 5-star quarterback? With a nation-best, 5-star tailback.

On3 Recruits took to X and reported some very positive news pertaining to Heupel’s Vols. “Tennessee coaches Joey Halzle and De’Rail Sims visited No. 1 running back Savion Hiter,” they wrote. Savion Hiter also took to the platform to post a picture of the trio. Hiter, as mentioned, is the top-ranked RB in the class of ‘26. Offensive coordinator Halzle and running backs coach Sims taking the trip to his hometown of Mineral, Virginia isn’t just a message to the player about how keen they are for his services. It’s a message to the rest of the SEC and the wider CFB sphere. If 2025 does indeed see the Vols regress a little, consider them winding back the springs on a pullback toy car just to zoom forward.

Josh Heupel and Tennessee don’t have a linear path to Savion Hiter, far from it. Bluebloods from all across the country are vying for him. On3’s predictive RPM has Ohio State and Georgia leading the race at this juncture. But Halzle and Sims making that trip implies Tennessee does believe they’re in with a shout. Alas, looking ahead to next year is a prerequisite for this sport. But you cannot lose sight of the current either. It’s not as if the Vols are doomed for 2025 after losing Nico Iamaleava. It’s still a competitive roster that will be there or thereabouts in the hunt for the playoffs once again. But it all starts with who’s under center. Sensationally, one person thinks Iamaleava’s replacement, Joey Aguilar, may not even be their new QB1 after all.

There’s a chance Josh Heupel’s QB1 may not be Joey Aguilar, per a national analyst

In what many are referring to as the first “trade” in college football history, Joey Aguilar came the other way from UCLA via the portal after Nico Iamaleava joined the Bruins. Aguilar had only joined UCLA recently himself, having transferred over from Appalachian State. There are a lot of moving parts to this, of course. But for the sake of this conversation, it’s important to note Aguilar only really left App State to maximize his final year of collegiate eligibility. He even got a waiver to play in 2025 from the NCAA, citing the fact that he initially spent time on the JUCO circuit. This makes one thing fairly obvious. Aguilar is coming to Tennessee under the condition of being a starter. Yet, that may not be a guarantee, as per On3’s J.D. PicKell and Josh Newburg.

“Do you think Joey Aguilar, who’s not even here for spring ball and won’t show up till summer, is a bonafide starter next year? Could you pencil him in, or is this competition still ongoing?” asked Newburg in a video on the On3 YouTube channel. In reply, PicKell said, “I think he still has to win the job.” He concurred with Newburg on why this isn’t cut and dry. Why Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle do indeed have a decision on their collective hands.

“To me, Josh Heupel handing a guy, after spring practice, who wasn’t there for spring practice, the job doesn’t totally add up,” he said. PicKell did, however, acknowledge that Aguilar did probably come under the pretense of being the starter. So he’s the frontrunner unless something drastic spawns in that QB room. You wouldn’t put it past Tennessee after what has gone down in the last fortnight or so! There’s got to be a part of Heupel that can’t wait for a clean slate in 2026 with Faizon Brandon. He’d hope Savion Hiter can partner with him as well.