Volunteer Country

Steve Spurrier Compares Tennessee's Joey Aguilar to Former Vol Nico Iamaleava

Steve Spurrier compares the quarterbacks following week one of college football
Caleb Sisk|
Aug 30, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) looks for an open receiver against the Syracuse Orange in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Aug 30, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) looks for an open receiver against the Syracuse Orange in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers have already wrapped up their very first game of the college football season as they defeated Syracuse on Saturday by way of 45 to 26, and it seemed to be a great game for the Tennessee offense as they were very balanced, and it was their quarterback's very first game in the Tennessee football system. Their QB, Joey Aguilar, did a great job compared to the not-so-great performance by Nico Iamaleava with the UCLA Bruins.

This is something that was talked about often in the off-season and the first week of college football for both teams. One of the former coaches that detailed his opinion of the situation was Steve Spurrier (former Florida and South Carolina head football coach).

Similar to many, Spurrier is on the side of Aguilar's performance in the very first week of the season. Here is what Spurrier had to say on the "Another Dooley Noted Podcast".

Steve Spurrie
Former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier is acknowledged for his recent induction into the college football hall of fame during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers Saturday, September 16, 2017 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. The Gators beat the Volunteers 26-20. [Cyndi Chambers/ Gainesville Sun/Correspondent] 2017 | Cyndi Chambers / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What Steve Spurrier Had to Say

"Aguilar at Tennessee. Chris Doering already said he was better than Nico. He was on Saturday. Nico went to UCLA. He had some so-so games at Tennessee, really. But this Aguilar kid seems to be a good teammate and so forth. Anyway, we will see how it plays out when it goes to the coming weeks."

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Caleb Sisk
CALEB SISK

Caleb Sisk is a talented sports journalist from the state of Georgia. Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sisk's passion for sports grew. Bringing years of recruiting coverage experience, he has been named a National Recruiting Reporter and covers various college sites on the On SI network. He takes pride in covering recruiting and has been featured by numerous companies for his excellent coverage and knowledge. He has also spent time at other companies, including Rivals, where he covered the Tennessee Volunteers.

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