UCLA landed his probable successor at quarterback Ethan Garbers.
His name is Joey Aguilar, and he’s put up prolific numbers over the past two seasons at Appalachian State while leading the Mountaineers to a bowl victory, not to mention a triumph over the coach who will be his offensive coordinator with the Bruins.
Aguilar, who announced his commitment to UCLA on social media On Saturday night, he threw the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime to lift Appalachian State to a victory over then-undefeated James Madison in late 2023, when the Dukes’ staff included Tino Sunseri, who will become the Bruins’ offensive coordinator in 2025 after a season at Indiana.
In his two seasons at Appalachian State, Aguilar completed 60% of his passes for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns with 24 interceptions. The Antioch, Calif., native, who spent two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College in central California, also showed his ability to generate yardage on the ground, totaling 456 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons with the Mountaineers.
Learn more: UCLA and USC football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in and who’s out?
In 2023, Aguilar was selected Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year after leading Appalachian State to a 9-5 record that included a victory over Miami (Ohio) in the Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl. The Mountaineers fell to a 5-6 record last season, when Aguilar’s production dipped and he completed 56 percent of his passes for 3,003 yards with 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Aguilar won a final season of eligibility after quarterback Diego Pavia won a legal challenge to grant additional eligibility to players who had competed at the junior college level.
With Garbers having exhausted his eligibility and top backup Justyn Martin having transferred to Maryland, Aguilar is the clear favorite to start UCLA’s season opener against Utah on Aug. 30 at the Rose Bowl.
No other quarterback on the Bruins roster has college experience. Other options include redshirt freshman Dermaricus Davis, who was injured last season; redshirt freshman Henry Hasselbeck, son of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck; Luke Duncan, redshirt sophomore; Nick Billoups, redshirt senior; Redshirt freshman Karson Gordon, who could become a wide receiver; freshman Colton Gumino, a three-star high school prospect; and freshman Robert McDaniel, who was once committed to Arizona before Sunseri helped him reverse his commitment to UCLA.
Barring anything unforeseen, the starting job appears to be Aguilar’s to lose.
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
