The Tennessee Vols officially named UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar as the program's starting quarterback earlier this week. Aguilar beat out redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre for the job.

Josh Heupel told Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre that they’d be backup quarterbacks in the same breath he revealed Joey Aguilar would start.

Tennessee's starters in 2023 and 2024 -- Joe Milton and Iamaleava, respectively -- were both rather thin on playing time when they took the offense's reins. There's some natural growing pains with that level of inexperience. Aguilar shouldn't have that problem.