Volunteer Country

ESPN Analyst Expresses Great Deal of Concern With Tennessee Quarterback Joey Aguilar

A notable ESPN analyst has voiced his concerns with Tennessee Volunteers starting quarterback Joey Aguilar.
Christian Kirby|
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) throws a pass during Tennessee football preseason practice, in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 31, 2025.
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) throws a pass during Tennessee football preseason practice, in Knoxville, Tennessee, July 31, 2025. | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Tennessee Volunteers

A notable ESPN analyst has voiced his concerns with Tennessee Volunteers starting quarterback Joey Aguilar.

The Tennessee Volunteers have their starting quarterback, as the team announced earlier this week that UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar would be the Vols' signal caller for their week one matchup against Syracuse.

While a handful of fans and experts remain optimistic that Aguilar will be an improvement over Nico Iamaleava, there is one analyst who has expressed some major concerns about the quarterback heading into the 2025 season.

ESPN analyst and former SEC quarterback Jordan Rodgers recently spoke with ESPN's Cole Cubelic during The Cube Show to express his concerns for Aguilar. Rodgers stated that his concerns stem from Aguilar's ability to make "easy throws".

"My biggest concern is that the easy throws don't look easy to him," said Rodgers. "In this offense, if you can't throw a bubble screen, a hitch, or a slant to take advantage of the width that this scheme uses... This offense doesn't go. This offense gets suffocated. It becomes deep shots, and if you're stacking the box, then what do you do?"

Aguilar struggled with accuracy and turnovers during his 2024 season at App State, as he threw for a completion percentage of 60.1 and 14 interceptions. The Volunteers' signal caller will need to clean up both categories, should he and the team have aspirations of returning to the College Football Playoff.

Aguilar will make his first start for the Volunteers in their week one matchup against the Syracuse Orange in Atlanta, Georgia. Kickoff for this game is scheduled for noon on Saturday, August 30th and will be aired on ABC.

Follow Our X and Facebook Page

• Follow us on X HERE
• Follow us on Facebook HERE

Follow Our Staff:

Follow Our Website

Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI.

OTHER TENNESSEE NEWS

Published
Christian Kirby
CHRISTIAN KIRBY

Christian Kirby II is a multimedia sports journalist who has years of experience both covering and working with collegiate sports teams. He has received a journalism degree and a sports media certificate from the University of Georgia and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Emerging Media.

Home/Football