Anonymous SEC coach labels Tennessee 'unproven at quarterback' without Joey Aguilar

Tennessee is just two years removed from the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance and has topped double-digit wins in two of Josh Heupel‘s five-year tenure at head coach. But none of that could mean much after a second straight Spring was dashed by devastating quarterback news.

A year ago, Tennessee dealt with the shocking April defection of returning starting QB Nico Iamaleava, who hit the portal and transferred to UCLA after a failed NIL renegotiation attempt. This year, it was his portal replacement, Joey Aguilar, who had his last-ditch legal effort to gain an eighth season of collegiate eligibility denied by a Knoxville judge in February.

Without Aguilar, who threw for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2025, Tennessee is forced to rely on an unproven freshman at quarterback. Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, last year’s backup with just 18 career snaps, is entrenched in an unresolved battle with five-star true freshman Faizon Brandon to replace Aguilar as the Vols’ QB1 in 2026.

It’s because of that unenviable quarterback dilemma that several anonymous SEC rival coaches are quite pessimistic about Tennessee’s chances next season.

“Having the [Joey] Aguilar deal not go their way is a good thing for the SEC — they’re unproven at quarterback,” an anonymous SEC coach reportedly told Athlon Sports.

“Without a veteran quarterback in that system, you don’t feel the same energy and excitement around that program,” another anonymous SEC coach said. “Every time we’ve faced them or versions of them, it all runs through their quarterback and how confident he is at stretching the field and how mobile he is.” 

The anonymous quotes were part of a section titled “SEC Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2026” from its Athlon Sports’ 2026 College Football Preview magazine, which is on shelves now. Athlon Sports’ annual season preview magazine is generally must-see Summer reading for college football fans, due in large part to some of its compelling anonymous quotes. Make sure to purchase your own copy here.

Questions at quarterback are just the start of the bleak conference outlook for Tennessee, which is entering a “pivotal” sixth season under Heupel.

“It’s a pivotal year for them to succeed. I don’t think they’ll be better,” a third anonymous SEC coach told Athlon Sports.

“They want to run the ball. But do they have enough of a threat downfield to open up the run lanes?” another anonymous SEC coach said. “The last time they were extremely potent was when [former offensive coordinator and new Auburn head coach Alex] Golesh was there.”

Suffice it to say, Heupel’s SEC coaching peers don’t have much confidence that the Vols will challenging for the SEC title in 2026, let alone another Playoff bid.