The Tennessee football program is heading into another season under head coach Josh Heupel, who has proven to be the best fit the Volunteers have had in years. Heupel has assembled impressive recruiting classes and led Tennessee to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance just a season ago. However, he has also dealt with his share of transfer portal setbacks—most notably when quarterback Nico Iamaleava chose to leave the program.
Now, Joey Aguilar, Iamaleava’s replacement, is already generating some buzz around Tennessee. USA Today’s Paul Myerberg named the Volunteers a transfer portal winner thanks to Aguilar’s arrival.
“While not a match for Iamaleava’s athleticism or potential and a bit too turnover-prone this past season, Aguilar has the experience and comfort level in a quarterback-driven scheme to keep Tennessee in the mix for a return to the playoff. That’s a pretty good on-the-fly signing given what the Volunteers lost in Iamaleava and the lack of options in the springtime portal,” Myerberg wrote.
Aguilar has the potential to deliver a strong season for the Vols—possibly even taking them further than Iamaleava did. Looking ahead, the season following this one could bring one of the most promising quarterbacks Tennessee has seen in a long time. Faizon Brandon, the top-rated quarterback in the 2026 class, continues to turn heads. He visited Rocky Top just last week, actively recruiting big-time talent to join him.
Former Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano believes Brandon is already the real deal and could be a game-changer for the Vols.
“Faizon Brandon is THE real deal. With a really good supporting cast & Coach Heupel’s ability to coach Offense, endless potential. Obviously a lot must happen within a Quarterback’s development, but his talent is immense. Also, might be one of the flyest first names,” Guarantano said.
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Vols fans are fired up about Brandon’s future on campus and the immediate impact he could make. With Guarantano’s endorsement only adding to the excitement, expectations are sky-high. Brandon might not only become one of the best quarterbacks in Tennessee history—but one of the best in all of college football.