Joey Aguilar stuns us all with Diego Pavia move for potential Tennessee return

Talk about a Friday report that none of us were expecting. In recent weeks, Tennessee football fans have been getting ready to say goodbye to Joey Aguilar, as all signs were pointing to him being one and done with the Vols.

However, that may not be the case. In a surprising twist that not many of us saw coming, it has been reported by Front Office Sports that Aguilar is now pulling a Diego Pavia by taking legal action to potentially get himself an extra year of eligibility. So, you're saying the door isn't fully closed on him returning to Knoxville in 2026?

Joey Aguilar is taking legal action to try to return to Tennessee football

Pavia was previously successful in getting more time, as he's now making a splash with Vanderbilt and hoping to get the Commodores to the College Football Playoff. Will Aguilar have the same kind of luck and still suit up for the Vols in '26? That's what a lot of people are now going to be hoping for.

Aguilar made the move from Los Angeles to Tennessee after Nico Iamaleava signed with UCLA. A 'QB trade' of sorts went through and Aguilar has been a ton of fun to watch this campaign for UT. Through 10 games, with Tennessee at 7-3 on the season, the veteran QB has thrown for 2,941 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Behind Aguilar's strong right arm, Tennessee is only a few plays away from being in College Football Playoff contention. If he does return next season, you've got to think Josh Heupel and his staff will love the team's chances of returning to the CFP, right?

That's of course a big 'if' and there are plenty of different things that will need to go down through this lawsuit. However, it's pretty darn telling that Aguilar has thrown himself into the mix and that he's eyeing one more season with the Vols. This isn't going to be easy for him, but if it does go down, countless Tennessee fans will be ready to celebrate in a big way. This will of course be something to keep a close eye on.