Everything From Joey Aguilar During Wednesday Media Availability Session

Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar talked to the media after being named the starting quarterback of the Volunteers

On his reaction to being named the starter…

“I was super excited. I mean, coming out here and being a starting quarterback for this program is nothing but excitement, and that's all I can say. I'm just super excited.

On what he felt like made him win the job…

It’s tough to say. I don't think anything like specific, I would say just because you know George and Jake's really good athletes and good quarterbacks as it was. It was a hard battle. It was fun, though. You know, we went out there and competed with each other, but also helped each other in every way we could. So, I don't really have a specific answer for that.

On any words that Coach Heupel said that stuck with you….

“He just, you know, told us um, the way we competed with each other. You know, there are two ways you compete with somebody. You could compete and just be solo and not really try to help that other person, or you compete together and work to build whoever goes out there to be a starter, even if it was me or somebody else, that we are working together and uh be as one. So, I mean, I think just the way he told us how he liked how we went out there every day to support each other, and um, going into practice, not trying to be bad to the other person, I would say.

On how he would assess his performance in camp….

“Yeah, you know, it was a lot coming in such a short amount of time, but you know, I grinded out the days uh being in here early morning, late nights, and uh would just go out there, watch film, uh talk to the coaches, and just try to get the game plans going, and get the concept of the offense down. It took a while, but you know, got it down, you know, was able to go out there and perform in the scrimmages and stuff like that.

On how much better he felt from scrimmage one to scrimmage two….

“From one to two definitely felt more comfortable. You know, going out there and running it completely live was different. You know, running in practice is kind of different from going to scrimmage and game time speed. So, definitely got a better grasp of it second week of camp, you know, I was in there spending more time in film and trying to get all the keys of like um details of plays and certain reads and and the specifics like that.

On if anything in camp surprised him…

“I would say the only thing that I really had to adjust to was the tempo of the offense. You know, I was somewhat in 2023 in the I wouldn't say as tempo as this, but we were like pretty on the ball, just not as fast. So, just getting used to getting the signal and lining up and going through my progressions was just the adjustment I had to make.

On what he would tell himself a year ago that he would be the starting quarterback of Tennessee…

“If you would tell me that in 2021 and 2022, I probably would not believe it because I was at Juco at that time, looking at players at this level like, dang, that's crazy. I wish I was there, and here I am, you know, I just got to thank Jesus for giving me the opportunity to be here.

On how hard it was to have faith that things would turn out the right way….

“It was hard, you know. I mean, everything's not easy, but you know, I just stayed faithful to Jesus. I have a tattoo on my ribs. Proverbs uh 3:5-6, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean only, not your understandings, but always submit to him. So, uh that kept me going, and my family just supported me and my friends, really getting me back to play Juco, supporting me and helping me throughout that time. It was it was fun. I wouldn't go back and would want to change my journey at all. You know, Juco was an amazing time. Coaches were great. People were great, and my friends and family helped me a lot.

On how his current reality compares to the goals he set for himself before Juco was a thing..

“Yeah, it's crazy because before I went to Juco, I wanted to be a fireman. So I was like I might as well start. COVID happened and and football was kind of done in the JUCO level. So I was like if I'm I'm going to do that I'm might as well just you know start my career start taking classes for that and then when football came back around. But just to see like how my life shifted in just a short time of people like saying like, "Yo, come play." Like, "Give it one more shot." So, it's kind of crazy to see.

On how good a firefighter he would have been…

“I would have been the best one.”

On whether the week has been different for him and if it made it easier being named the starter….

“No, it doesn't change. You know, I got to go out there and attack every day like if I'm not, you know, cuz those guys are competitors, uh, as themselves. So, uh, you know, they're coming in here to work, and you never know, something can happen that those guys go in. It happened to me at App State. So, I'm going in there to compete still every day.

On if he has completed a deep pass…

“Yeah, we got we had a couple out there going, so it feels good. It feels good. I think I connected with Chris when he came back. Uh, Mike got one. Um, Amari got one. I think I connected with RARA to a little bit of everybody, honestly. It's just spreading the well.

On whether his experiences helped him know he could make a change from UCLA…

“Yeah, I would say my life growing up through Juco definitely helped shape who I was. I was somewhat of a different person. Probably would have had a different approach. Not sure how I would have approached that situation if it happened, but I would say Juco and just the transition to App State and adjusting to that environment helped me, you know, just see things through easier.

On what it has been like to have a head coach who played the quarterback position…

“It's awesome. You know, that whole quarterback room is great. They uh, kind of get a different perspective through everybody. You know, if you ask a question, you get the same answer or just a different perspective of what they see and how they see through plays and progression. So, it's kind of cool that they all pretty much play the position and can give an insight with everything.

On what it was like sharing the news with his mom and family…

“It was Sunday night, so I kind of shot them a text, and they wanted to stay up, but I was tired, so I just fell asleep. But called them the next day. It was awesome. They were super excited.”

On why he took the approach over the summer to slowly earn trust and put himself in position……

“I mean, I've grown up working for everything that I got. You know my dad always told me to be grateful and to be humble. My mom as well. So coming in here, trust takes time to build. You can't you can't force somebody to trust you. I mean, I'm just a nonchalant kind of guy. So, I'm not trying to come in here and tell everybody like, "Yeah, you got to trust me.” I'm your guy." So, you know, I just slowly connect with people here and there, go grab some food, hang out, just have a conversation with everybody, not even just like a main guy. I would say like you got to build trust with every single person on your team, whether they play or not. So, I think my biggest key with Juco and going to App State, connecting with those type of people and like a team quickly, uh, helped me understand how to connect with different types of people.

On what reaction he got from teammates when it was announced he was the starter…

“They were super happy. Yeah, I think they would be happy for anybody who got the job, though.”

On how eager he is to show people what he can do…

“I'm excited. I'm especially excited to run out that T, though. I haven't been to a Tennessee game in my life. So, that's one check mark I can make off my list.”

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