While Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar hopes for an NCAA waiver to grant him an additional season of eligibility, a judge has scheduled a meeting between the parties that could impact the player's future with the Vols.
The problem is it may come too late. Tennessee is searching for a quarterback, perhaps landing one before the transfer portal closes on Jan. 16.
On Jan. 12, Judge William Campbell, NCAA attorneys and lawyers representing Aguilar and other players will hold a conference call, according to court records obtained by Knox News.
The reason for the meeting is unknown, but it's part of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's federal lawsuit against the NCAA that challenges the association's eligibility rules involving former junior college players. Aguilar is among the plaintiffs hoping for the court to ultimately strike down those NCAA rules.
But that's the long term goal in a court case that could drag on for months and perhaps into the 2026 football season.
In the short term, the players are asking the judge to grant a preliminary injunction halting the NCAA eligibility rules involving junior college players. That would force the NCAA to grant another blanket waiver for an additional year of eligibility to former junior college players. That's what happened in December 2024, which allowed Aguilar to ultimately play at Tennessee in the 2025 season.
Aguilar needs a resolution soon to have any chance to play for Tennessee in the 2026 season.
Tennessee is searching for a quarterback in the transfer portal, which closes Jan. 16. Arizona State's Sam Leavitt , the No. 1 ranked quarterback in the portal, left UT on Jan. 9 after a two-day visit to explore the possibility of playing the Vols.
According to numerous reports, Leavitt will visit Miami next. And he's also considering LSU and possibly Oregon.
Meanwhile, only a few established starting quarterbacks remain in the portal. Presumably, Tennessee would take Aguilar for another season if he were eligible. Aguilar led the SEC with 3,565 passing yards, the third most in a single season in UT history, along with 24 TD passes.
But the Vols can't risk waiting too long for the possibility that Aguilar gets another year of eligibility.
A preliminary injunction is possible, but an outright resolution to the case appears far off. On Jan. 6, attorneys for the players filed a second amended complaint to the court, attempting to strengthen their argument against the NCAA eligibility rules.
But it could take weeks for the NCAA to respond to that complaint. By then, Tennessee should have its new quarterback to replace Aguilar.
The NCAA allows players to compete for four seasons within five years. And it counts junior college seasons toward that total and time period even though junior colleges are not part of the NCAA.
Pavia's lawsuit seeks to change the eligibility rules, where junior college competition wouldn't factor into seasons of eligibility or an athlete's eligibility clock. Only seasons at an NCAA institution would count as part of NCAA eligibility.
That means the 24-year-old Aguilar, who started his career in junior college, would get one more season to play. He has already spent seven years in college football, but only three seasons at NCAA member schools.
In 2019, Aguilar redshirted at City College of San Francisco. In 2020, the COVID pandemic canceled his junior college season there. In 2021-22, he played two junior college seasons at Diablo Valley College.
Then Aguilar's NCAA career began. In 2023-24, he played at Appalachian State. He transferred to UCLA for spring 2025, and then he transferred to Tennessee in an essential quarterback swap involving Nico Iamaleava.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joey Aguilar NCAA eligibility case update for Tennessee football quarterback
