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Here's how much Tennessee football would pay Joey Aguilar to play in 2026
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- Here's how much Tennessee football would pay Joey Aguilar to play in 2026
Joey Aguilar 's projected NIL pay as Tennessee 's starting quarterback is a significant piece in his eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA.
Tennessee has a spot available on its 2026 football roster if Aguilar becomes eligible, according his complaint filed in Knox County Chancery Court and obtained by Knox News on Feb. 2.
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And Aguilar would land a lucrative NIL contract if he can play one more season for the Vols.
"If the Court granted Aguilar relief from the NCAA's JUCO rule in the near term, Tennessee has a spot for him on the roster and would welcome him back," Aguilar's complaint says. "His compensation for playing college football in 2026 would be approximately $2 million."
Aguilar, 24, initially is seeking a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, whose rules say he has exhausted his eligibility. Ultimately, he wants an injunction that would allow him to play for Tennessee in the 2026 season.
It was assumed that Aguilar would return as UT's starting quarterback if he regained his eligibility through the courts. His lawsuit makes that clear.
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That's significant because UT touts young talent at quarterback but very little experience.
In the 2026 season, George MacIntyre will be a redshirt freshman. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 69 yards in two games in 2025. Five-star freshman Faizon Brandon enrolled at UT in January. Colorado transfer Ryan Staub played 12 games with two starts in three seasons for the Buffaloes.
Tennessee kept Joey Aguilar option open while chasing transfer QBs
Aguilar exceeded expectations in his lone season at Tennessee, so it's not surprising that coach Josh Heupel would leave the door open for his return.
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In 2025, Aguilar led the SEC with 3,565 passing yards, the third most in a single season in UT history, along with 24 TD passes.
Granted, Tennessee tried to land an established quarterback from the transfer portal, assuming that Aguilar would remain ineligible in 2026.
UT showed interest in Cincinnati's Brendan Sorbsy , but he transferred to Texas Tech. It tried to land Arizona State 's Sam Leavitt , who transferred to LSU . And it hosted Missouri 's Beau Pribula , who transferred to Virginia .
The most coveted quarterbacks in the portal would've cost UT an estimated $3 million to $6 million. Aguilar, if eligible, would come at a relative discount. His price tag, according to the complaint, would be around $2 million.
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How Aguilar would almost double NIL pay if he plays
Aguilar's potential return would be a win-win situation for Tennessee and the overachieving quarterback.
According to the complaint, Aguilar's NIL compensation would almost double if he were allowed to play for the Vols in 2026 – from $1 million to $2 million.
"The 2025 season also marked the first time that Aguilar earned significant money for playing football," the complaint says. "From 2019 to 2023, he earned nothing. But in one season at Tennessee, Aguilar earned over $1 million."
Aguilar's football journey had humble beginnings, from a junior college walk-on to the SEC's leading passer.
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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 in Pleasant Hill, California.
His NCAA career began in 2023 when he played at Appalachian State. He transferred to UCLA for spring 2025, and then he transferred to Tennessee in essentially a quarterback swap involving Nico Iamaleava .
Why Aguilar believes the NCAA should extend his eligibility
Those junior college roots and access to NIL pay are the sources of Aguilar's legal argument.
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.
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Aguilar's lawsuit seeks to change the eligibility rules, where junior college competition wouldn't factor into NCAA seasons of eligibility or an athlete's eligibility clock. Only seasons at an NCAA institution would count as part of NCAA eligibility.
That means Aguilar would get one more season to play. He already has spent seven years in college football, but only three seasons at NCAA member schools.
Knox News investigative reporter Tyler Whetstone contributed to this report. 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 NIL pay for Tennessee football QB if he plays in 2026
