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Oddsmakers give Tennessee Vols QB Joey Aguilar a slight nod over Nico Iamaleava ahead of the 2025 season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Craig Smith | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 4:53 PM ET

Like it or not, new Tennessee Vols QB is going to continue to receive comparisons to the man he replaces in Knoxville in Nico Iamaleava. That is, of course, if the former wins the open quarterback competition this fall against Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre.

One popular betting outlet thinks Aguilar will secure the job - and he'll put up a season more likely to earn Heisman Trophy consideration than his predecessor.

Circa Sports put out their odds for the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner, and Aguilar checked in at a tie for 23rd at 55-1. Iamaleava was a tie for 30th at 70-1.

Heisman Trophy odds via @CircaSports

A. Manning, Texas 5-1
G. Nussmeier, LSU 8-1
C. Klubnik, Clemson 9-1
D. Allar, Penn St 12-1
J. Smith, Ohio St 16-1
DJ Lagway, Florida 17-1
L. Sellers, S. Carolina 19-1
D. Moore, Oregon 20-1
J. Sayin, Ohio St 20-1
C. Beck, Miami 25-1
B.…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 2, 2025

Those are pretty good odds for the oddsmakers to give the former Appalachian State signal caller being sight-unseen in Josh Heupel's offense.

However, if there's one thing Heupel has been able to do, it's been minimizing mistakes from his quarterbacks, with no Tennessee starting QB in his system throwing more than 5 interceptions.

That's been the main problem with Aguilar at App State, the turnovers. He has the deep ball and the fearlessness to let it loose that could be a big boost for Tennessee's offense in 2025 after two years struggling with the deep pass. He can also make plays with his legs, as evidenced by 452 rushing yards and 5 scores over the last two years.

As such, the skills are there that warrant consideration of potentially a strong season for the ex-Mountaineer in 2025. And that's likely what the folks in Las Vegas saw in giving the odds they did.

We'll see if Aguilar is indeed the one to lead the Vols when they kick off their season on August 30 against Syracuse in Atlanta - and if he can help Tennessee's offense find a gear they couldn't with Iamaleava for much of 2024.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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