One Burning Question: Volunteers’ QB trade up or down? (0:57)
The SEC Network crew question is the biggest transfer bombshell of the college football offseason as Joey Aguilar takes the reins in Tennessee. (0:57)
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Jake TrotterAug 17, 2025, 09:27 PM ET
- Jake Trotter is a senior writer at ESPN. Trotter covers college football. He also writes about other college sports, including men’s and women’s basketball. Trotter resides in the Cleveland area with his wife and three kids and is a fan of his hometown Oklahoma City Thunder. He covered the Cleveland Browns and NFL for ESPN for five years, moving back to college football in 2024. Previously, Trotter worked for the Middletown (Ohio) Journal, Austin American-Statesman and Oklahoman newspapers before joining ESPN in 2011. He’s a 2004 graduate of Washington and Lee University. You can reach out to Trotter at jake.trotter@espn.com and follow him on X at @Jake_Trotter.
Tennessee named senior Joey Aguilar its starting quarterback Sunday.
Aguilar transferred from UCLA to Tennessee in April, a day after former Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava joined the UCLA Bruins, in what essentially was a college football quarterback trade.
Aguilar had transferred from Appalachian State to UCLA during the winter portal and was in line to start for the Bruins until UCLA signed Iamaleava.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel noted Friday that Aguilar was “handling himself extremely well” and praised him for being “extremely comfortable” commanding the Vols offense in such a short amount of time.
Aguilar beat out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger for the job.
Aguilar threw for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns with 14 interceptions last season.
Tennessee opens the season Aug. 30 against Syracuse.
