Joey Aguilar somehow found a way to make Tennessee fans appreciate him even more

Just when Tennessee fans thought they couldn’t appreciate Joey Aguilar any more, they’ve found a new reason to. At the NFL Combine today, Aguilar met with the media and revealed that he played through a tumor in his throwing arm. Despite that, he continued to suit up in the orange and white and do everything he could to help the team. Aguilar said:

“I found it early in the season, but if you get one time to play at Tennessee, there’s no backing down. So I just played through it and put the team first.”

I mean, if this doesn't scream Vol for life, I'm not sure what will. Aguilar is so appreciated by the Tennessee fanbase. He gave his all for Josh Heupel, his teammates, the fans, and the university. He won't go down as a Heisman like Payton Manning, but that's okay. Aguilar did what he needed to do and never complained. He worked his tail off and made a catastrophic situation last spring work out just fine. He even led the SEC in passing yards, an amazing accomplishment in the best conference in the nation.

Joey Aguilar has grit like no other

The fact that Aguilar was able to keep pushing through this is very impressive. In the portal era of college football, players are tagged as soft and weak, and as not caring about the schools they represent, but Aguilar is the complete opposite. He did whatever he could to be a Vol, including suing the NCAA, showing just how much he liked Knoxville and playing under Josh Heupel. It's too bad we don't get another season from him, but when one door closes, another opens.

Now, we will have tro sit and wait for Aguilar to hopefully get drafted and root for whatever team he plays for at the next level.