"I was dead wrong": Urban Meyer short of words for Joey Aguilar's incredible rise in college football after dramatic offseason trade

When the Nico Iamaleava - Joey Aguilar trade happened in the offseason, Tennessee fans were the ones most hurt and felt dejected over the star QB's unprecedented exit over an alleged NIL dispute with the university. Within days of this move, Josh Heupel raised eyebrows with his bold move to get Joey Aguilar out of UCLA, who was basically unproven at the Power Four level and had never been in the spotlight.

Well, fate has been kind to Heupel and Tennessee fans who no longer feel betrayed or miss their former QB in the program. Aguilar has simply flipped the narrative with his aggressive style and multiple wins. Although Tennessee lost the game to Georgia in Week 3, Aguilar played incredibly well and caught the attention of football pundits.

Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is already a fan of Aguilar. He claims that even though Week 3 didn't turn out to be in his favor, at an individual level, he has basically proven his worth and has shown why he belongs in the SEC.

“What a story man. Unbelievable. He quit football. He was a firefighter for a year. Think about that. He went to a junior college. Went to App State. I looked it up and it’s not getting enough publicity. Non-recruited, junior college. App State. UCLA. UCLA makes the worst trade in the history of the trades,” Meyer said on the Triple Option podcast on Wednesday. [Timestapmp - 0:30]

Meyer also reveals his first impression of the Nico trade and how that would affect Tennessee. But now he has no apprehensions and claims that Heupel made the right choice.

“Tennessee lands this guy. I don’t know this guy, but he must be a monster. I was the first guy when Nico left, I said, ‘D-U-N dun. It’s over in Knoxville. How do you lose a quarterback with that talent?’ I was dead wrong. Dead wrong. That kid played his ass. I know they lost, but he played his ass off,” he added.

Joey Aguilar and Tennessee has a moderate schedule to navigate in 2025

After the Georgia loss, Aguilar and Co. will next play UAB at home this coming weekend. MS State, Arkansas, Alabama and Kentucky are other opponents for the team in the following weeks.

The second half will be an interesting one to navigate since it will test Aguilar’s ability to play against top opponents and get those crucial points to keep their playoff aspirations alive.

Tennessee will play Oklahoma in Week 9, followed by NM State, Florida Gators and Vanderbilt to wrap up the 2025 season. Looking at their current trajectory, winning 10+ games looks achievable, although SEC teams won't let them have an easy path to victory.