Joey Aguilar to start at QB for No. 24 Tennessee in season opener
Aguilar had two productive seasons at Appalachian State and then transferred to UCLA last December, only to join the Vols after Nico Iamaleava stunningly left Tennessee for UCLA in April. Iamaleava led the Vols to a 10-3 record in 2024 and had been expected to return.
Coach Josh Heupel chose Aguilar over Jake Merklinger, who played in two games last season, and freshman George MacIntyre.
Tennessee opens the season Aug. 30 against Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Vols made the College Football Playoff last season, only to be routed in the opening round by eventual national champion Ohio State.
Aguilar made 24 starts in two seasons at Appalachian State, throwing for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
8 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Man arrested for allegedly racially abusing Semenyo has been given conditional bail
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A man arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during a Premier League game has been released on conditional bail, police said Monday. Merseyside Police said the 47-year-man from Liverpool cannot attend a soccer match in Britain or go within one mile (1.6 kilometers) of a soccer stadium in Britain while on bail. The man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense after Semenyo, who is Black, reported to the referee that he was racially abused by a spectator in the first half of Bournemouth's match against Liverpool at Anfield on Friday. The man was removed from the stadium soon after the alleged incident, which led to a brief stoppage in play. An investigation 'remains ongoing and we continue to work closely with the club,' Merseyside Police said. On Saturday, Semenyo, a 25-year-old Ghana international, thanked his Bournemouth teammates, Liverpool's players and the soccer community as a whole for the 'overwhelming messages of support' he received after reporting that he was racially abused.
USA Today
8 minutes ago
- USA Today
'I don't want to put a timeline on it': Texas A&M's Week 3 opponent still undecided at QB
Marcus Freeman says no quarterback decision between Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr."We're still in a competition.""We gotta make a decision here soon. I don't want to put a timeline on it." Texas A&M's Week 3 road matchup against Notre Dame will either help or hurt the Aggies down the stretch of the 2025 season, but you can be sure that coach Mike Elko and every player who faced the Irish during the 2024 opener are looking to avenge the 23-13 loss in Kyle Field. Last season, Notre Dame's opening season win over A&M essentially guaranteed the program a spot in the College Football Playoff after the shocking Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois just a week later. While Elko knows that the Aggies' tough 2025 slate includes SEC road games against LSU, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas, defeating the Irish isn't mandatory. Still, it would result in momentum heading into conference play. However, unlike last year when quarterback Riley Leonard was leading the Fighting Irish, the veteran signal caller is now with the Indianapolis Colts, and according to Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, the quarterback competition is still an ongoing battle between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey with no end in sight. "We gotta make a decision here soon. I don't want to put a timeline on it." Carr, who seemingly held a slight lead early in the process, is considered the better option after backing up Leonard last season, while Kenny Minchey has been with the program for the previous three seasons, and is regarded as a dual-threat option that could bolster the team's rushing efforts. Both are inexperienced, and the fact that Freeman's next media availability isn't scheduled till August 26, this provides Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who is the team's new defensive play caller, a stark advantage when preparing to face Notre Dame's passing game, already knowing that star running back Jeremiyah Love with be Elko's primary focus. No. 21 Texas A&M will face No. 5 Notre Dame on Saturday, September 13, at 6:30 p.m. The game will air on ABC. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Newsweek
39 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Johnny Manziel Sends Clear Message to Shedeur Sanders Amid Browns QB Battle
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After making a memorable impression in his NFL preseason debut, Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had to sit and watch as his competition—fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel—also put on an impressive performance in his debut as well. Gabriel, who led Oregon to a 13-1 record and appearance in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, completed 13 of 18 passes for 143 yards and an interception in Cleveland's 22-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. "We have plenty to clean up," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said of Gabriel's performance, via "There are some things that I thought he did well. I thought our offense as a whole on third down was very good early, which allowed us to stay on the field because I don't think we were great on first and second down." While the consensus among most analysts was that Sanders actually played better than Gabriel, some are still convinced Sanders' has an uphill battle if he's going to take Gabriel's spot on Cleveland's roster. More NFL: 49ers Could Face NFL Punishment Over Brandon Aiyuk Decision Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns walks out of the tunnel before the start of the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on August 16, 2025... Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns walks out of the tunnel before the start of the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on August 16, 2025 in Philadelphia, has been harshly criticized more than arguably any other player this offseason, and if there's anyone who can relate to what the 23-year-old QB is going through right now, it's former Browns QB Johnny Manziel. Though Manziel was a first-round pick back in 2014 and Sanders is a fifth-rounder, both were extremely accomplished college QBs who entered the league with arguably more buzz surrounding them than anyone else from their respective draft classes. More NFL: Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Receives New Major Injury Update Despite Manziel's NFL career fizzling out after just two seasons, the former Heisman Trophy winner doesn't want to see Sanders experience a similar fate, which is why during a recent interview with USA Today, Manziel offered Sanders some sage advice. "Looking at it from an outside perspective, somebody that obviously has ties to Cleveland — just keep going, keep balling, keep trying to get better," Manziel told USA Today. "Eventually his day's going to come to where he is the starter there and hopefully he can make the most of it and he's got people excited." Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel #2 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 13, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel #2 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 13, 2015 in Cleveland, NFL: 49ers Lose Bidding War to NFC Rival for Former Second-Round WR But Gabriel isn't the only signal-caller Sanders has to worry about. Former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco is expected to be named Cleveland's QB1, and Kenny Pickett, who's been the Browns No. 2 QB for all of training camp, is expected to stay directly behind Flacco on the depth chart despite not practicing much after suffering a hamstring injury at the start of camp. Which means Sanders, Gabriel and recently signed veteran Tyler Huntley are seemingly battling it out for one position. With just one more preseason game remaining, Stefanski admitted he wants to decide who his starting quarterback and backups will be so there's no uncertainty hanging over anyone's head before the team's final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday. "I want to get through the next couple of days, but certainly [naming a starter is] something that we're going to do here sooner than later," Stefanski told reporters on Sunday. More NFL: Colts Predicted to Replace Anthony Richardson With Heisman Trophy Frontrunner
