NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Antioch native Joey Aguilar is half of faculty soccer’s wildest flip-flops. When Nico Iamaleava departed Tennessee in April for UCLA, the quarterback left the Bruins to hitch the Volunteers.
Now Aguilar has Iamaleava’s previous beginning job.
“Coming out here and being the starting quarterback for this program is nothing but excitement, and that’s all I can say,” Aguilar stated Wednesday. “I’m just super excited.”
Adapting to altering circumstances is nothing new for the 24-year-old quarterback who as soon as starred for Freedom Excessive of Oakley.
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down junior faculty soccer in 2020, Aguilar was making ready to start out on his objective to be a firefighter. He was lured again to soccer the place he performed two seasons at Diablo Valley Group Faculty in Nice Hill. He then performed 25 video games at Appalachian State in 2023 and 2024.
Quarterback Joey Aguilar #4 of the UCLA Bruins throughout UCLA soccer Friday Evening Lights spring follow at Drake Stadium on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles on Friday, April 18, 2025. (Picture by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
Aguilar was prepared to check himself at UCLA when Iamaleava was not welcome at Tennessee simply earlier than the Vols’ spring recreation. Iamaleava transferred to UCLA . So Aguilar, who has the Bible verse Proverbs 3:5-6 tattooed on his ribs, gambled on shifting once more.
Even Aguilar can’t fairly imagine how the whole lot has turned out.
“If you would tell me that in 2021, 2022, I probably would not believe it,” Aguilar stated. “I was in JUCO at that time, looking at players at this level, like, ‘Dang, that’s crazy. I wish I was there.’ And here I am. I just got to thank Jesus for giving me the opportunity to be here.”
Aguilar arrived on campus in Knoxville in Might.
He has measurement at 6-foot-3 and 225 kilos and a resume that includes 6,760 yards passing with 56 touchdowns at Appalachian State. He additionally ran for 452 yards and 5 extra scores. Aguilar will make his twenty fifth profession begin Aug. 30 when the Twenty fourth-ranked Volunteers open the season in Atlanta towards Syracuse.
He needed to beat out Jake Merklinger, who appeared in two video games final season, and freshman George MacIntyre. Aguilar did it by rapidly studying coach Josh Heupel’s offense that the opposite quarterbacks already knew.
That concerned early mornings, late nights, a number of movie and speaking with coaches to be taught each recreation plans and the idea of what Tennessee does on offense.
“It took a while, but I got it down,” Aguilar stated.
Freedom Excessive quarterback Joey Aguilar (16) throws a go within the second quarter of their soccer recreation towards Bishop O’Dowd in Oakley, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. (Doug Duran/Bay Space Information Group)
Heupel stated Tuesday that Aguilar confirmed simply how snug he had turn into to the purpose he was in a position to management the offense as coaches requested. Tennessee introduced Aguilar because the starter Sunday evening in a social media publish.
“His decision-making accuracy with the football, you know, our checks that he controls, you put all that together, and that’s ultimately why we made the decision,” Heupel stated.
Even along with his expertise, Aguilar has needed to alter to only how briskly Heupel needs Tennessee’s offense to function. The Vols ran a median of three performs per minute in his first season and at a fee of 10 seconds per play in his second. They largely caught to the bottom reaching the Faculty Soccer Playoff final season.
How briskly the Vols go this season will depend upon Aguilar. He ran an up-tempo offense in 2023 at Appalachian State.
“We were like pretty on the ball, just not as fast,” Aguilar stated. “So just getting used to getting in the signal and lining up and going through my progressions was just an adjustment I had to make.”
As unusual as this journey has been, Aguilar thanked his household, associates and coaches for supporting him all the best way as he prepares to make his subsequent begin.
“I wouldn’t go back and would want to change my journey at all.” Aguilar stated.
Freedom quarterback Joey Aguilar (16) and teammates kneel as their coach talks after their loss to San Ramon Valley Wolves within the North Coast Part Division I championship recreation at Heritage Excessive in Brentwood, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. The Wolves received 28-21. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Initially Printed: August 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM PDT
