Paul Finebaum Calls Out SEC Program Over Quarterback Concerns

Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers went from having a clear-cut starting quarterback to serious questions at the QB position when former five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava announced his transfer portal decision earlier this offseason. Iamaleava will suit up for the UCLA Bruins in 2025. Heupel and the Volunteers acquired Joey Aguilar, who transferred away from UCLA after Iamaleava announced his decision. Aguilar, who transferred to UCLA after two years as a starter for Appalachian State, will now compete for Tennessee’s starting job before the 2025 college football season. Freshmen signal callers George MacIntyre and Jake Merklinger are also options for the Volunteers, but neither have any in-game experience at the collegiate level.

ESPN SEC analyst Paul Finebaum recently sounded the alarm on Tennessee’s quarterback situation. “I think you have to be worried about Tennessee,” Finebaum said. “I know that I’m probably not breaking a new story here but what is the quarterback situation really going to be like? Listen, [Joey] Aguilar is serviceable. They have two backups who have no experience, but I think that’s a tremendous drop-off.” In his first season as Tennessee’s starting QB, Iamaleava led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff. Their 10-3 season came to an end with a 42-17 loss to the eventual-champion Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round.

“It is the right call, and it’s the right call because they’ve already been held hostage to a degree by Nico and his people. They went to bat for him about a year ago. They fought because the NCAA wanted to rule him ineligible because of the recruiting, and they stood by and they kept his eligibility. They gave him a chance, and by the way, he helped to reward them by helping Tennessee get to the playoffs last year. But the bigger story here is beyond Nico. This is an inflection point in the history of college football,” Finebaum said. Tennessee will kickoff its 2025 college football campaign with a matchup against the Syracuse Orange on Aug. 30.