Joey Aguilar was barely in the transfer portal for 12 hours before he had his mind made up that he wanted to be a Tennessee Volunteer. Now seeing himself in the Orange and White, he feels almost star struck by his reflection
and for good reason, he almost didn’t have a college career.
Joey Aguilar entered the transfer portal around 9 in the morning and by 9pm that night – his decision was made.
It wasn’t because he had no other offers, he did, and plenty of them.
He revealed to FDP that it was in his conversation with Josh Heupel and company that it instantly became clear that Rocky Top was where he belonged.
“It was amazing, especially when I got on the phone with them, everybody was so genuine and just so real that it felt like it was easy. You know? I mean, like once I called him, we had our conversation, we discussed what we discussed, and it was just like, once I hung up, I told my agent, I was like, ‘If they’re all in, I’m all in,” exclaimed Aguilar.
What came next; a mountain of support from Vols Fans.
Right away, he noticed he was getting tagged in hundreds of posts and even getting recognized by Vols Fans.
A reality that almost had him speechless.
That same support was also found with his new teammates. Some of that support occurred just as quickly as Vols Fans, such as tight end Miles Kitselman messaging Aguilar on Instagram as soon as his transfer became official.
“It’s very heartwarming, for sure, because when I got here, I connected with the teammates, like, if I’ve been here for a couple seasons already, and I think that’s what makes the transition easier, coming from, like, across the world, almost, you know? I mean, so just knowing that I have other connected family here with my teammates that I now call brothers,” said Aguilar.
Competing for the starting job at Tennessee, is likely a reality he didn’t see coming just a few years ago.
As his high school career ended, he was without any offers to play collegiately. He then took a couple of years off, but he found another chance when COVID happened.
He elected to go to Diablo Valley Junior College near San Francisco, California. He completed 64% of his passes in his lone season before transferring to App State where he spent the last two seasons.
That journey, helped him learn to preserve.
“Just enjoying the process and just working and truly like, like, earning what I have accomplished and everything so far,” said Aguilar.
His mentality is also a perfect fit for Tennessee. Especially under Josh Heupel, the Vols have operated with a chip on their shoulder, they thrive as the underdog, so too does Aguilar.
He isn’t motivated from extrinsic factors, instead he finds it from his family.
“I’ve been guided my whole life. It’s just for myself, for my family, just, you know, seeing their kid on the highest stage, playing the game that he was, and just to go out there and know that no matter what happens, my family is proud of me,” said Aguilar.
His journey to Tennessee has certainly taken unexpected turns like transferring to two different schools within the span of six months.
As he prepares for his first season at Tennessee, he relies on his faith for strength.
“I’m excited to be a child of God and just expressing my love for him, and joy that He gives me and the opportunity to play this game. You know, everything can be taken away in a second, and you know, I’m just excited and happy that I have to go out there and play it as long as possible,” said Aguilar.”
Seeing that conviction and belief from his coaches was also a key selling point for Aguilar.
“Coaches are big believers and have a lot of faith. Which one big key for me as well. When I got here I was very impressed and happy with that. And then teammates, and then the church that I went to,” said Aguilar.
His faith also helps to not hold on to the lows or highs for too long either. Such as his 2023 season being statistically better than his 2024 c campaign.
He comes to Tennessee with a refreshed attitude and while he hasn’t completed any deep passes yet, he’s making strides in his ability to get comfortable within the system.
“At first it was a little shaky, because I’m still trying to get all the details of things down, but it was just fun to be back out there. I know you’ve obviously only been here for a few months,” said Aguilar.
But still he has an underlying confidence to him.
“I’m not going to back down for anything. And so excited to be here smarter. I guess you know taking, taking check downs when, when I know the deep ball would be a little more 5050, but at the end of the day, I got to give my receivers a chance, and just have the trust that my
receivers, no matter what law. So I would just say that just checking the ball down when needed,” said Aguilar.
FDP will get a closer look this week and next as fall camp starts, make sure you’re subscribed to https://www.youtube.com/@FullDisclosurePro to stay up to date on everything Tennessee Football.
