On Friday, the hearing for Tennessee football quarterback Joey Aguilar’s eligibility was held. With both Aguilar’s representatives and the NCAA’s making arguments, Judge Chris Heagerty announced he will not rule from the bench today.
Instead, Aguilar’s temporary restraining order will remain in place until a ruling is made. This allows Aguilar to work out with the team at the moment.
It’s worth noting that Judge Heagerty said ‘you should have my opinion in very short order’, though, according to Trey Wallace.
Aguilar’s lawsuit against the NCAA fights back against rules that count junior college seasons against a player’s NCAA eligibility. Aguilar also claims he would be losing out on $2-4 million in compensation if he were not granted the injunction.
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A judge in a similar Diego Pavia case originally sided with the Vanderbilt quarterback last winter, enacting a temporary restraining order against the NCAA. In response, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to student-athletes who previously played in junior college and ran out of eligibility during the 2024-25 athletic year.
That ruling gave Aguilar an extra-year of eligibility and eventually led to him landing at Tennessee. However, Aguilar played two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College and would have one more year of eligibility remaining if the courts again sided with him and other student-athletes vs. the NCAA.
Aguilar just finished his first season as Tennessee’s quarterback. The team finished 8-5 (4-4 SEC), but the offense took a big step back in the right direction. Aguilar posted an SEC-high in passing yards at 3,565 with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
If Aguilar is not able to play for Tennessee next season, it will be a three-way quarterback battle between George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon and Ryan Staub for the starting job. If Aguilar is eligible, he’s expected to be the starter.
