For a little while, many of us have assumed that we've seen the last of Joey Aguilar suiting up for the Tennessee Vols. We haven't received much positive news on Aguilar's push for an extra year of eligibility, but leave it to reporter Adam Sparks to spice up your Monday.
Moments ago, the trusted reporter broke the news that Aguilar has officially filed a lawsuit against the NCAA to be able to play for the 2026 campaign. Aguilar started his career with two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College in California before signing with App State in 2023.
Aguilar spent two seasons with App State before signing with UCLA, only for the Bruins to bring in Nico Iamaleava - Aguilar then ended up signing with Tennessee, spending his fifth season of college ball with the Vols. However, Aguilar isn't giving up hope of being given an extra year to play in the SEC due to his first two college campaigns indeed coming at the JUCO level.
BREAKING:
— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) February 2, 2026
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Knox County Chancery Court, seeking to extend his eligibility and play for the Vols in the 2026 season.
Here are the details.https://t.co/StJUzAcnjo
Joey Aguilar is suing the NCAA in hopes of getting one more season with Tennessee
For now, it's totally up in the air how things are going to shape out here, but Aguilar clearly isn't ready to say goodbye to Knoxville. Getting him back for one more season would of course be incredible news for head man Josh Heupel and his staff.
This offseason, the Vols were searching far and wide for a potential replacement, with Tennessee going all-in for 5-star transfer Sam Leavitt. While UT was able to get the Arizona State transfer on campus for a visit, he ended up signing with LSU to play for Lane Kiffin.
Tennessee ended up signing veteran Colorado transfer Ryan Staub, while 5-star QB Faizon Brandon just made the move to Knoxville as a member of the 2026 class. Youngster George MacIntyre is also ready to push for the starting job this spring and summer.
With that said, Aguilar would 100 percent be QB1 if he gets some good legal news soon. Last fall for Tennessee, the stud signal-caller tossed for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions. He quickly became a fan favorite and people aren't giving up hope that he'll lead the offense out onto the field once Week 1 gets here later this year. We can only hope a final decision arrives soon and things don't get dragged out even more.