Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar’s NIL salary revealed

UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar entered Sunday with the announcement of his being named the Tennessee Volunteers’ starting quarterback this season.

Now, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, it’s been revealed how much Aguilar will make as the Vols’ signal-caller.

Nakos stated via X that Aguilar – who beat out Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre for the starting job – will make roughly $1.2 million this season.

After stops at the City College of San Francisco and Diablo Valley, Aguilar played two seasons at Appalachian State. He compiled 6,759 passing yards and 56 touchdowns during his time with the Mountaineers. He set the single-season record for passing yards (3,757), passing touchdowns (33), and total offense (4,002).

Aguilar started his career being named the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in 2023. He ended that season with MVP honors of the Cure Bowl, where he threw for 211 yards and rushed for a touchdown in a win over Miami (OH). In 2024, he was an All-Sun Belt honorable mention after starting 11 games.

Aguilar transferred to UCLA, but joined Tennessee in April after QB Nico Iamaleava transferred to the Bruins. The moves were called “a college football quarterback trade,” according to ESPN’s Jake Trotter.

Trotter reported that Tennessee coach Josh Heupel stated Aguilar is “handling himself extremely well” and has been “extremely comfortable” as the QB continues to lead the charge on offense in a short amount of time.

Aguilar and the Volunteers kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 30 with their home opener against Syracuse.