Aguilar changed his travel plans at the last minute and instead visited Appalachian State, which plays in the Sun Belt Conference and is located in Boone, N.C. He quickly embraced the small-town feel, soon committed and flew away on an eye-catching 2023 season.

Aguilar threw for 3,757 yards and 33 touchdowns, both school records. He ranked fifth in the nation in TD passes that year, behind Oregon’s Bo Nix, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Michael Penix Jr. of Washington and Jordan McCloud of James Madison.