Tennessee Vols quarterback ranked as a top 50 player in college football for the 2025 season

A Tennessee Vols quarterback has been ranked as a top 50 player in college football for the 2025 season. 

That's despite the fact that we have no clue who will start at quarterback for the Volunteers this fall. 

USA Today's College Sports Wire recently ranked the top 50 players in college football and they have Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar at No. 50. 

Aguilar transferred from UCLA to Tennessee after Nico Iamaleava transferred from UCLA to Tennessee earlier this spring (a de facto quarterback trade between the two programs). 

From USA TODAY: Overall, Aguilar has been a really solid and consistent quarterback during his two years at the FBS level. He has one game where he completed less than 50% of his passes and had more than three interceptions in a single game. That performance came in a 34-24 loss at Louisiana.

Aguilar isn't viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in terms of NFL draft prospects. He could work his way into the conversation as more than a backend quarterback with a ceiling as a backup or spot starter in the NFL.

Aguilar is battling redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre for the starting quarterback job in Knoxville. 

For now, there's no favorite to win the battle, though Aguilar has the most on-field experience of the trio (Aguilar totaled 6,700 passing yards and 56 touchdowns in two seasons at Appalachian State before transferring to UCLA after the 2024 season).