The Tennessee Volunteers recently secured a commitment from UCLA transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar, signing him to a deal reportedly worth close to $1.2 million.
Before finalizing that move, Tennessee had cast a wide net in the transfer portal, searching for a veteran quarterback. Among their top targets was TCU’s Josh Hoover, whose NIL valuation was pegged at $2.6 million by On3.
QB Joey Aguilar is transferring from UCLA to Tennessee in what's essentially a quarterback trade, sources told @ClowESPN.
UCLA announced the signing of Nico Iamaleava on Sunday, and Aguilar entered the spring portal Monday. pic.twitter.com/Mv1HpATA4T
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) April 22, 2025
Hoover, standing 6-foot-1, had an impressive season, completing 313 of 471 passes for 3,949 yards and 27 touchdowns. However, SEC spring-transfer rules prohibit immediate eligibility for players moving within the conference, pushing the Vols to focus on quarterbacks from outside the SEC.
A former Texas Tech commit, Hoover gained attention from Tennessee due to his poise in the pocket and experience with pro-style offenses. But with a price tag approaching $2.6 million, Tennessee couldn’t match the financial terms Hoover secured to stay at TCU.
According to Chris Low, Maax Olson, and Adam Rittenberg in their April 23 report, “Tennessee reached out to representatives of multiple starting quarterbacks from the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC to gauge their availability in the portal”—a growing trend in a sport where players now commonly seek agent representation.
Still, landing a top quarterback in the spring is tough, as most returning starters are already tied to seven-figure NIL deals. Tennessee reportedly explored options like Illinois’ Luke Altmyer, TCU’s Josh Hoover, and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, but none could be lured away.
Behind the scenes, Spyre Sports Group monitored Tennessee’s NIL spending limits, while head coach Josh Heupel worked on developing redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and incoming freshman George MacIntyre. In the end, the Vols landed Aguilar from UCLA without surpassing their budget.
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