Joey Aguilar handed a blunt reality check by CFB insider after his move to Tennessee post Nico Iamaleava’s exit

The Nico Iamaleava saga took a new turn in the last few days. He is now with the UCLA Bruins and is likely to be their starter.

This has forced Joey Aguliar, who transferred to UCLA in the winter transfer portal, to move on, as he is now with the Tennessee Volunteers. To many, this is the first "direct trade" in college football history.

However, college football insider Andy Staples believes that Aguliar is not going to immediately become the starting quarterback of the Vols.

"I don't think that Joey Aguliar is a candidate for the starting job at Tennessee," Staples said on Tuesday (01:30), via the 'Andy & Ari On3' podcast. "He's got to compete with Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre."

Aguliar spent the last two seasons as the starting QB of the Appalachian State Mountaineers. He led them to a bowl game appearance in 2023; however, the Mountaineers regressed in 2024, finishing with a 5-6 record. Aguliar threw for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns with 14 interceptions last season.

These are numbers and performances that one does not expect the Tennessee QB to have, especially entering his senior year. For the struggling Bruins, the performances of Aguliar were able to make him one of the favorites to be the starting QB in the 2025 season.

This was until the arrival of Iamaleava, who has all but taken the job from him. Aguliar will hope to defy the odds to become the Volunteers' starter and lead them, or surpass the amount of success they had with Iamaleava.

Who are the rivals of Joey Aguliar in the Tennessee quarterback race?

Joey Aguliar has gone from a definite starter at UCLA to having to go through a potential QB battle in Tennessee. However, when one looks at the experience and stats produced by the players involved, there is no real contest.

Alongside Aguliar will be Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre. Merklinger is the likely favorite for the role as he served as the backup to Nico Iamaleava last season, but he only attempted nine passes. Six were successful, throwing for a combined 48 yards.

Meanwhile, MacIntyre is a true freshman, so he has never suited up for Tennessee in a competitive game yet.

This should mean that Aguliar is likely the obvious choice. However, his performances at App State, and that Tennessee coach Josh Heupel can use him for one season, may not work in his favor.