Former Appalachian State quarterback Joey Aguilar announced his commitment to UCLA on Saturday night, bringing the native of Antioch, California, back to his home state.
“Playing back at home is going to be amazing,” Aguilar told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “Especially for my family, lot closer commute and more of them can come.”
Aguilar threw for 6,760 yards and 56 touchdowns in his past two years with the Mountaineers. He previously spent two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College in Northern California.
The senior entered the transfer portal Tuesday, three weeks after App State fired coach Shawn Clark following a disappointing 5-6 season.
Aguilar is a beneficiary of the NCAA’s decision to grant a waiver to players who competed at junior colleges before transferring to a four-year program, awarding them one more year of eligibility.
According to an NCAA memo, the waiver extends an extra year of eligibility in 2025-26 to athletes who previously “competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years” and otherwise would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season.