Tennessee Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar may or may not be playing his final game in orange and white on Dec. 30 in the Music City Bowl in Nashville against Illinois.

It’s possible that Aguilar, who transferred from UCLA to Tennessee this past spring, could gain another season of eligibility due to his inclusion in Diego Pavia’s complaint, which seeks to strike down the NCAA’s junior college eligibility rules.

It’s unclear, though, when a ruling will come down, which makes navigating the offseason a bit tricky for the Vols.

We also don’t know whether Aguilar wants to return to Tennessee in 2026, as he’s been a bit coy in his responses when asked.

Joey Aguilar and Tennessee are facing difficult timing

The general feeling is that it’s unlikely Aguilar returns to Tennessee in 2026 due to the timing of a potential ruling.

Tennessee needs a veteran quarterback on the roster in 2026, whether that’s Aguilar or someone else. With the transfer portal set to open on Jan. 2, the Vols can’t afford to wait on the NCAA to issue a ruling on Aguilar’s future (the best-case scenario for Tennessee would be for a ruling to happen before New Year’s).

“Well, they have to have a ruling on that, and the feeling out there is that it may just not happen before the portal opens and closes,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price Tuesday on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “And if that’s the case, he has to move on. And then, that [would] put Joey in a weird spot…I think if you’re Joey Aguilar, as much as you hate the headline, if you’re really trying to get the extra year of eligibility, you would enter yourself into the portal. So, if you’ve got it (another year of eligibility), let’s say in March or April or May, you would have the opportunity to do something.

“Again, I think for Joey, the timing of this is really hard. And again, if they rule on it before the portal closes, then sure, that’s going to be the direction they (Tennessee) likely go. But if they don’t [rule on it before January], then I think he’s probably just off to the NFL at that point, and Tennessee’s got to move on and go in a different direction. I think if they don’t hear by January 2, they have to pivot hard and go in another direction. Because Tennessee can’t put themselves in a spot where they don’t get a quarterback. Whether they’re going with the G Mac (George MacIntyre) vs Faizon (Brandon) battle and bringing in a third depth piece, or if they’re going to get a proven starter, [Tennessee] still has to have another quarterback on their roster.”

Many assume Vols redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger will enter the transfer portal, but he hasn’t made an announcement yet.

Joey Aguilar returning to Tennessee would be the best-case scenario for the Vols in 2026

There are plenty of transfer options already in the portal that Tennessee could target at quarterback, such as Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby or even Florida transfer DJ Lagway.

The competition for top transfer quarterbacks, however, will be fierce… and expensive.

Aguilar is limited as a playmaker — he won’t wow anyone with his ability to go off script when plays break down — but he has a solid understanding of Josh Heupel’s offense.

The California native was mostly terrific for the Vols in 2025 (3,444 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions). Still, it’s safe to assume that he’d be even better for Tennessee in year two, even if his ceiling as a quarterback is limited.

But unless the NCAA rules quickly on Pavia’s complaint, the Vols will need to turn their attention to other quarterbacks in the transfer portal.

In fact, Tennessee should already be vetting those quarterback options, as many of those deals will happen before the portal opens in January.

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