Former Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar breaks the silence about the denial of his attempt to get a final year of college eligibility
The VFL is at the NFL Combine after his attempt to return to Knoxville in 2026 was stopped.
The Tennessee Volunteers and Joey Aguilar are heading their separate ways after what’s been only a wild month of February for both.
Aguilar filed suit earlier this month in Knox County Chancery Court to try to gain an additional year of eligibility due to him having played four years of junior college football, but only three of NCAA Division I.
He quickly obtained a temporary restraining order that made him immediately eligible, which seemed like a good sign. However, Judge Christopher D. Heagerty ultimately denied his request for an injunction, which again made Aguilar ineligible.
Although he has 30 days to appeal, it appears that he and the Vols are moving in different directions, with Aguilar in attendance this week at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Aguilar spoke to the media for the first time since the denial of his injunction request, and he certainly took the high road with the situation.
“I mean, everything happens for a reason,” Aguilar said. “They granted me a TRO, so I was out there practicing like if I was coming back, and then the judge declined my request. It is what it is. I’m excited to pursue this next chapter of my life.”
Aguilar admitted it was a relief that the uncertainty about his future was gone and that he can move forward.
“For sure. Waiting around, it gets a little stressful, but I finally got the answer that I was waiting for, and that’s to pursue the NFL now, and I can put my whole focus into that.”
The denial is one that Aguilar likely won’t appeal, so Tennessee is now set to go into the 2026 offseason looking closely at whether redshirt freshman George MacIntyre or true freshman Faizon Brandon is the best option to start the 2026 season, and they’ll have the entire spring and fall camp to figure that out.
It’s a bit of a bittersweet ending to Aguilar’s short time with the Volunteers. He led the SEC in passing yards per game last season with 274.2. He also helped ignite a Tennessee passing game that had been dormant for much of the previous two seasons and led the Vols to their first win at Florida since 2003.
Those things will likely keep Aguilar’s time at Tennessee viewed in a positive light by many Vol fans.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Alabama’s Charles Bediako is trying to give the Tennessee Vols deja vu ahead of their return clash on Saturday
The Tennessee Vols can’t quite seem to fully get past Alabama’s on again, off again big man.
