It's hard to accept for the Tennessee faithful, but quarterback Joey Aguilar is not going to be back next campaign. The hope was that the veteran signal-caller would come out on top of his court battle and get an extra year of eligibility, but the opposite turned out to be the case.
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Because of that, Aguilar has shifted his focus on taking his game to the pro level, with him optimistic that an NFL team will give him a shot. With that said, Aguilar will always be thankful for his time in Knoxville and he wanted to make sure he gave everyone a proper, emotional goodbye now that we know for sure he won't be leading the offense onto the field in 2026. You can see Aguilar's goodbye post on Instagram by clicking on this link.
Joey Aguilar's goodbye to Tennessee will hit fans in the feels
With the caption, "A chapter I'll never forget. Forever home. Thank you Knoxville," it's clear that Aguilar himself is pretty dang sad about having to leave town. Can you blame him for feeling that way? Not at all, as Vols Nation brought him in and made him feel at home from the start.
After starting off playing JUCO ball, Aguilar spent two seasons at App State before signing with UCLA. However, the Bruins essentially tossed him to the side after breaking the bank to bring in Nico Iamaleava, who was previously the starter for Josh Heupel.
Heupel got on the phone and decided to make a trade of sorts, bringing in Aguilar to be his QB1. Aguilar didn't disappoint, throwing for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was also a play or two away from powering Tennessee to a thrilling upset win over Georgia early in the campaign.
While UT didn't get back to the College Football Playoff, it doesn't take away from what Aguilar, an underrated QB, was able to get done in 2025. He really wanted one last dance with the SEC powerhouse, but it wasn't meant to be. It sucks, but Tennessee supporters will be cheering him on as he gets ready for this next step of his life.