Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has been granted a voluntary dismissal as a plaintiff in the Diego Pavia eligibility lawsuit, according to court documents. Aguilar joined the suit as a plaintiff in November.

Aguilar hired his own lawyer in late January separate from Pavia’s, bringing in Cam Norris to represent him, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. Norris represented President Donald Trump in 2022, when he was a candidate, before the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump was seeking to overturn a decision from the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee to allow it to obtain tax returns over a six-year span. The court declined the request.

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Additionally, Norris argued on behalf of the Tennessee attorney general’s office in the school’s case against the NCAA’s NIL rules. The suit argued the guidelines violated antitrust law, and Norris was part of UT’s defense in the case. The case was settled in January 2025.

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has been granted voluntary dismissal from Diego Pavia’s lawsuit seeking additional eligibility for ex-JUCO players.

Aguilar recently hired his own lawyer separate from Pavia’s, so this may mean he seeks to file his own separate lawsuit. pic.twitter.com/aZx5ZAjjSy

— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) January 30, 2026

Aguilar was among the plaintiffs in Pavia’s suit, which challenged the NCAA’s eligibility rules for junior college athletes. The former Vanderbilt quarterback was granted a preliminary injunction to play the 2025 season, but other former JUCO players joined as part of an effort for additional eligibility. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 10 in Nashville, per Knox News.

More on Joey Aguilar, the Diego Pavia case

Diego Pavia received a sixth season of eligibility following a preliminary injunction late last year as a result of his suit against the NCAA. He argued his time at New Mexico Military Institute should not count against his eligibility. As his attorneys worked to make it a class-action case, though, the Vanderbilt quarterback said he does not intend on playing another year at Vanderbilt.

In December, attorneys representing Pavia and the other plaintiffs issued a new filing, which cited the NCAA’s decision to grant James Nnaji immediate eligibility. He is a former NBA Draft pick, although he never played in an NBA game or signed an NBA contract. However, he played in the NBA Summer League.

The attorneys took inspiration from The Night Before Christmas in the filing. They included a poem while criticizing the NCAA’s decision.

“When what to my wandering eyes should appear, but… the hypocrisy of the NCAA granting four years of eligibility to a 21-year-old European professional basketball player with four years of professional experience who was drafted by an NBA team two years ago,” the filing reads.

Joey Aguilar began his college career at the junior college level at Diablo Valley Community College in California from 2021-22 before arriving at Appalachian State in 2023. He then entered the transfer portal after the 2024 season and committed to UCLA, but after the Bruins added former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Aguilar re-entered the portal and committed to Tennessee.

In 2025, Aguilar completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns, to 10 interceptions. The Vols are facing questions at the quarterback position in 2026 after Jake Merklinger entered the transfer portal, though talented prospect Faizon Brandon signed as a true freshman.