A talented gunslinger with impressive arm strength, Joey Aguilar joins the Jaguars, aiming to prove his NFL potential after a dramatic collegiate journey.
Following the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars added an additional 16 players as undrafted free agents, acquiring 10 offensive talents and six on defense.
Of the 10 offensive additions, the Jaguars added one quarterback - Tennessee's Joey Aguilar.
In his lone season with the Volunteers, Aguilar recorded 3,565 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions, eclipsing 300 passing yards in four contests.
After a failed run at securing an additional year of eligibility, Aguilar entered the NFL Draft late in the process, showing up at the NFL Combine a week after his waiver was denied.
Up until the court decision, Aguilar was still enrolled in classes at Tennessee, but quickly pivoted to pursue his ultimate goal.
"Waiting around, it gets a little stressful," Aguilar said after the ruling. "But I finally got the answer that I was waiting for. And that's to pursue the NFL now, and I can put all my focus into that."
At the combine, Aguilar posted the fifth-best production score and eight-best overall.
Aguilar began his career at Diablo Valley Community College in Pleasant Hill, CA, making the jump to Division I with Appalachian State in his junior season.
In 2023, Aguilar won Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, earning a Second-team All-Sun Belt Conference nod.
The 6-foot-3 gunslinger ranked fifth in the FBS with 33 passing touchdowns, a school record.
He followed up this stellar debut with a bit of a down year, but still earned Honorable Mention All-Sun Belt Conference honors after passing for 3,003 yards and 23 scores
Aguilar was one of the most-highly sought after players in the transfer portal last offseason after lighting up the Sun Belt with Appalachian State.
In Knoxville, Aguilar led the Vols to an eight-win season, at times looking like an NFL-caliber quarterback.
Aguilar possesses impressive arm strength, but experienced periods of inconsistency and inaccuracy.
Early in the season, Aguilar posted three straight games with an interception, including two outings with multiple.
While two of these three games resulted in Volunteer wins, the one that got away would have been Tennessee's biggest win in recent memory and likely propelled them to a different type of year.
In week 3, Aguilar and the Vols hosted then-ranked No. 6 Georgia, falling 44-41 in an overtime thriller.
Aguilar's numbers were plentiful, as the former Aggie standout recorded 371 passing yards and five total scores, but committed two crucial turnovers - one leading to an easy field goal for the Bulldogs, which ultimately decided the game.
In Jacksonville, Aguilar will battle with eight-year veteran Nick Mullens, who is entering the final season of his two-year contract, for the backup job.
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