Vols insider shares latest on whether Joey Aguilar plans to appeal after injunction was denied for 2026 eligibility
Tennessee Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar recently had a preliminary injunction denied that would’ve allowed him to return for the 2026 season.
Late last week, Tennessee Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar learned that an injunction which would’ve allowed him to play in 2026 was denied.
Aguilar, who started all 13 games at quarterback for the Volunteers in 2025, was hoping to gain a final season of eligibility after playing just three seasons of NCAA football (two at Appalachian State and one at Tennessee).
Ultimately, a judge decided that Aguilar, who also played two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College, shouldn’t be allowed an additional season of eligibility (due to his time in junior college).
Vols insider shares the latest on whether Joey Aguilar plans to appeal the decision
Aguilar has 30 days to appeal the decision.
The appeal process, however, could take six months or longer. With the NFL scouting combine and the 2026 NFL Draft coming up, Aguilar doesn’t have six months to wait on a decision. So it seems unlikely he’ll go that route.
VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs, however, noted on WNML’s SportsTalk on Tuesday that as of Monday, no decision has been made yet.
“As of yesterday, it had not,” said Hubbs when asked if a decision had been made by Aguilar on appealing. “The leaning was that he would probably not appeal. It didn’t feel like that. He’s got 30 days to do so. I’m told the Court of Appeals in the state of Tennessee is a rather lengthy process, and it could be months, or up to a year, before the appeal would ever be heard.
“So I think that’s some of the hesitancy, maybe, in exploring the appeal option. I think Joey’s at the combine trying to see what his options are in the immediate future. Does he want to take a chance on an appeal and give up a year of football at his age? Or does he want to go try to make it as an undrafted free agent in the NFL, and see if he can find a way to stick there? I think those are things that Joey’s exploring right now.”
It certainly seems unlikely that Aguilar will choose to appeal. So unless something crazy changes over the next few weeks, it’ll be a George MacIntyre vs Faizon Brandon vs Ryan Staub quarterback battle this spring and fall.
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