Have you ever seen a clip so mysterious that it turns an August practice into a campus-wide manhunt? Yeah, that’s where Tennessee football found itself this week. One blurry quarterback, one pick, and a whole lot of fan detectives zooming in like it’s the Zapruder film. The Vols’ social media team thought they were slick, blurring out the culprit—but in Knoxville, secrets don’t last long. And now? Joey Aguilar’s name is flying around like a deep ball into double coverage.

This saga didn’t just pop out of nowhere. Tennessee walked into the offseason feeling good after a 10-3 2024 campaign—until April hit like a sack on third-and-long. Nico Iamaleava, the golden boy, pulled the plug on his Vols career in an NIL showdown, demanding a reworked deal worth around $4 million a year. Tennessee didn’t bite, Nico bounced, and Joey Aguilar became the next man up. He was the low-risk rebound pick: veteran arm, big-game flashes, but some baggage from Appalachian State.

This whole thing started on August 3, smack in the middle of fall camp. Tennessee’s official X account posted a hype video—except one play didn’t quite fit the hype. Defensive back Colton Hood snatched a pass out of the air for a clean interception. But instead of showing the QB’s face, the video blurred him out. Naturally, Vol fans put on their FBI badges, slowed it down, and started playing guess-the-pick-thrower.

The crowd favorite? Joey Aguilar. Why? Well, the man’s got a rep. At Appalachian State, Aguilar’s highlight reel was fire—3,757 yards, 33 TDs in 2023—but the blooper reel? Also full. Ten picks that year, 14 more in 2024, plus enough fumbles to make a buttered football blush. The guy’s arm is a cannon, but sometimes he’s firing it into enemy territory. Now, the Vols are in a three-way QB battle: Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, and freshman George MacIntyre. Interceptions in August? That’s just camp life. But showing one guy tossing a pick while protecting the others? That’s a quick way to start a fan riot.

Still, the speculation kept cooking. On That SEC Football Podcast, Cousin Shane wasn’t ready to convict Aguilar: “Well, first reaction was obviously I thought it was a quarterback, but I’m kind of with you. Austin Price made some pretty good—I don’t—you know, we’re not in court or anything, but without reasonable doubt, I can’t sit here and say that was the quarterback that was blurred. Because the camera angles didn’t match up, the distance didn’t match up, and some of the players that he was talking about that was in the area of this blurred individual, which I’m surprised it’s blurred, anyway.” 

He even suggested the blurred figure might’ve been a tight end. But by then, the internet had already handed Aguilar the blame slip. And here’s the kicker: later whispers (Per Vols nation) claimed it was a tight end who threw it. But the damage? Done. Because when your college career comes with 24 INTs and 14 fumbles in two years, people aren’t exactly giving you the benefit of the doubt, especially not in the SEC, where one bad read can turn into a pick-six party for Georgia or LSU.

Cousin Shane also dropped a bigger worry for Joey Aguilar and Josh Heupel: “The things that I’m worried about is not only are we deep into this quarterback competition, but it’s eerily similar to what we saw with Oklahoma last year. You know what I’m saying? And that’s my big concern because we saw exactly how that played out last season.” The scarier subplot? The Oklahoma 2024 blueprint.

They had five-star Jackson Arnold lined up to take over after Dillon Gabriel dipped, but man couldn’t hold it down—too many turnovers, shaky decisions, and no rhythm with his receivers. It got so bad that they benched him for a true freshman mid-season (for a minute), and the offense never found its footing. Tennessee’s got that same energy right now—no clear QB1 deep into fall camp, a thin receiver room dropping balls, and viral clips raising more questions than answers. If Heupel doesn’t lock this thing in fast, the Vols could be headed for the same type of flop Oklahoma fans are still mad about.

Mike Matthews’ injury might cost Joey Aguilar

If Aguilar needed a break, he’s not getting it from the wide receiver room. On Sunday, five-star sophomore Mike Matthews was spotted stretching on the sideline instead of running routes. According to Knoxville News Sentinel’s Adam Sparks, it’s not believed to be a long-term injury, but there’s no clarity yet. Add Chris Brazzell to the injury list, and Tennessee’s down to five healthy scholarship receivers.

Those five healthy receivers? All redshirt freshmen or true freshmen. That means raw routes, timing issues, and a steep learning curve. In a heated QB battle, that’s a killer. Matthews could’ve been Aguilar’s bailout option. The five-star from the 2024 class turned just seven catches into 90 yards and two TDs last year.

Meanwhile, Jake Merklinger is gaining traction simply by knowing the system better. Josh Heupel is now walking a tightrope. Name a starter too early, and you risk the other two quarterbacks hitting the transfer portal. Wait too long, and you risk stumbling into Week 1 against Syracuse without offensive rhythm. For Aguilar, the viral clip might not even be his biggest problem—it’s whether he’ll have the weapons to win the job in the first place.

Bottom line? If Matthews isn’t back soon and the QB competition drags out, Tennessee could end up starring in the SEC’s version of Oklahoma 2024—a hype train that never left the station.