The Tennessee Volunteers enter the season searching for a starting quarterback, with three valuable options vying to lead the team. The candidates are incoming freshman George McIntyre, incoming App State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar, and redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, who has the most experience in the QB room. Head coach Josh Heupel has confirmed that the quarterback battle is wide open.

When Aguilar joined the Vols, it gained attention as the first unofficial college football trade between Tennessee and UCLA. Even then, Aguilar was seen as the perfect fit.

“Aguilar fits what Tennessee is looking for, a proven starter with one year to play. He passed for 6,760 yards and 56 TDs last two years at App. State. Also a very capable runner. Heupel and Vols definitely looking for another QB,” ESPN’s Chris Low wrote.

Acquiring Aguilar from the portal gives the Vols a proven starter and made them one of the biggest winners of the spring transfer window.

“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,” USA Today’s Paul Myerberg wrote.

At SEC Media Days, Heupel talked about what Aguilar has done to quickly gain the trust of the locker room.

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“The first week he was here with all our guys, he took the offensive linemen out to dinner," Heupel said. "Those are little steps in developing relationships where you can eventually lead them. When you're coming in, how you present yourself every single day inside and outside the building is going to be how players perceive you. He has an ability to connect with our guys as a veteran guy. He has developed relationships and earned the trust of those guys."

This will be Aguilar’s final collegiate season, and he is betting on himself with the starting job up for grabs. It is clear he is a relationship-first type of player — the kind that Tennessee’s coaching staff loves.