Tennessee court makes a quick ruling in Joey Aguilar’s attempt to return to Vols, but it’s not the most important step
Aguilar won round one against the NCAA in court. Round two will be a bigger one.
For at least the moment, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar can celebrate a legal victory in court against the NCAA.
That’s because, just days after filing suit in Tennessee state court in Knox County, Aguilar has been granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in his bid for one more season of eligibility.
Joey Aguilar granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in attempt to return to Tennessee for 2026 season
Chancellor Christopher D. Heagerty entered a temporary restraining order, which notes, in the most relevant part, that “Plaintiff has demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of his claim that the NCAA’s ‘JUCO rule’ violates the Tennessee Trade Practices Act.”
The court also noted that Aguilar would suffer immediate and irreparable injury without the TRO, that the balance of harms favors Aguilar (noting the NCAA waived the JUCO rule for others in 2025), and that Aguilar has no adequate remedy at law before a hearing were to take place because of the time-sensitive nature of his situation.
The temporary restraining order has a maximum duration of 15 days. The next step is an injunction hearing, which was scheduled on Feb. 6, per Knox News’ Adam Sparks. Should Aguilar win that hearing and obtain an injunction, it would provide fuller relief and could help him return to the team in time for spring practice.
One factor under consideration for an injunction is Aguilar’s showing a likelihood of prevailing on the merits, which would obviously be a good sign for his prospects of ultimately winning the case.
Aguilar, who spent four years at junior college and three at the NCAA level (two at Appalachian State, one at Tennessee), sued the NCAA last Friday to attempt to obtain one more year of eligibility at Tennessee.
It’s a good sign that Aguilar has secured the TRO, but we’ll see how things go at the next — and more important — step in the process.
UPDATE (11:19 am ET): per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the injunction hearing is now expected to take place next Friday, February 13.
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