Joey Aguilar will not be back in 2026.
The journeyman quarterback had his collegiate career come to a close after court rulings denied a preliminary injunction that would’ve halted junior college eligibility rules.
Aguilar needed to be granted a preliminary injunction. Chancellor Christopher D. Heagerty did not grant a preliminary injunction in the Knox County Chancery Court on Feb. 20, according to reports. Tennessee can still appeal the decision.
He originally went to court Feb. 13 with his attorney Cam Norris and NCAA attorney Taylor Askew, where Aguilar’s representation claimed was a violation of the Tennessee Trade Practices Act. Heagerty mulled his ruling and made a decision a week later.
Aguilar had initially filed his lawsuit in conjunction with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia in November 2025. The Heisman Trophy runner-up, alongside 26 other college football players, attempted to sue the NCAA over eligibility rules regarding their time at the junior college level.
After remaining part of Pavia’s federal case without seeking his own TRO, Aguilar withdrew and pursued a separate state-court challenge. On the college basketball side, former Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako was successfully granted a TRO from a local Tuscaloosa County circuit court in January 2026. Aguilar promptly re-filed his new lawsuit in Knox County Chancery Court and was granted a TRO on Feb. 4, opening a 15-day window to prevent the NCAA from restricting his eligibility. Now, Aguilar has been denied.
Aguilar’s 2025 season of eligibility came at the hands of Pavia’s initial lawsuit. The NCAA had always counted junior college seasons against the eligibility clock — which provided five years to play four, despite junior colleges not being NCAA member institutions. Pavia’s lawsuit sought to change that, keeping the eligibility separate, counting only years spent in the NCAA as years against eligibility.
Pavia had initially sued the NCAA in Nov. 2024, winning the preliminary injunction to play the 2025 season. That injunction allowed Aguilar, who spent his first year of college at City College of San Francisco, to earn an additional year of eligibility. He used that season to compete with the Vols, guiding them to an 8-5 record while starting every game.
During the 2025 season, Aguilar passed for 3,565 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His passing attack allowed Tennessee football to score an SEC-leading 39.8 points per game.
Aguilar’s best statistical outing was a 20-for-26, 396-yard performance at Kentucky, where he tossed for three scores. He dished the wealth evenly, finding Chris Brazzell II, Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley for 100-plus yards apiece.
His final collegiate game, however, will go down as his worst. Aguilar entered the Music City Bowl against Illinois riding a 36-game streak with 200-plus passing yards. He ended up finishing the game well short of the benchmark, passing for 121 yards on 18 attempts without a score.
Tennessee now turns its attention to what remains in the quarterback room: redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, true freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub.
The trio of quarterbacks has combined to attempt 108-career passes, with Staub’s 99 pass attempts over three collegiate seasons with the Buffaloes leading the way.