Aguilar started his career being named the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in 2023. He ended that season with MVP honors of the Cure Bowl, where he threw for 211 yards and rushed for a touchdown in a win over Miami (OH). In 2024, he was an All-Sun Belt honorable mention after starting 11 games.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - One day after Joey Aguilar was announced as Tennessee’s starting quarterback, WVLT caught up with Volquest’s Brent Hubbs to dive deeper into that decision. Hubbs was the first to report that Aguilar had been named the starter and told WVLT when he believes that decision was made internally.