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Joey Aguilar's new attorney beat NCAA for Tennessee football, represented Trump
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- Joey Aguilar's new attorney beat NCAA for Tennessee football, represented Trump
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar , as part of his last attempt to get an additional year of eligibility in college football, has retained an attorney who previously represented President Donald Trump and defeated the NCAA in federal court regarding its probe into UT and former quarterback Nico Iamaleava .
According to a Jan. 28 court filing obtained by Knox News, Aguilar authorized Cam Norris to appear as his counsel in the eligibility case against the NCAA. A hearing is set for Feb. 10 in Nashville.
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In 2022, Norris represented then-candidate Trump before the U.S. Supreme Court for Trump's effort to overturn a U.S. House Ways and Means Committee decision allowing it to obtain six years' worth of tax returns. The court declined the request but did not explain its reasoning, and no justices noted dissent.
In 2024, Norris indirectly helped UT clear Iamaleava amid an NCAA investigation in 2024. Now Norris will try to help Aguilar play for the Vols again.
Norris did not respond to a Knox News request for comment.
Aguilar is a plaintiff in former 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 several players hoping for the court to strike down those NCAA rules or grant a preliminary injunction that would allow them to play in the 2026 season.
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Norris practices law for the Consovoy McCarthy firm in Arlington, Virginia, but he lives in Knoxville. He graduated from Vanderbilt Law School.
According to the Consovoy McCarthy website, Norris has represented prominent nonprofits, many states in federal court, the Republican Party and Trump. He has argued twice at the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
Cam Norris defeated the NCAA for Tennessee in court before
Tennessee fans who've kept up with UT's court battles against the NCAA are familiar with Norris.
In 2024, Norris successfully argued on behalf of the Tennessee attorney general's office in UT's defense against an NCAA probe over name, image and likeness rules. In that case, the state of Tennessee argued the NCAA rules regarding NIL benefits violated antitrust laws.
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That lawsuit was filed on the heels of the NCAA's investigation into UT's NIL dealings, especially those involving its recruitment of quarterback Iamaleava . The federal lawsuit and the NCAA's investigation into UT weren't directly connected, but the prior impacted the latter.
Norris delivered the most memorable line of that preliminary injunction hearing.
"This hits close to home," said Norris. "(The NCAA) is coming after our largest school."
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, center, speaks to the media outside of the James H. Quillen United States Courthouse in Greeneville on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. Attorney Cam Norris, right, stands behind Skrmetti. Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel
Norris' argument was effective. A federal judge suspended NCAA rules regarding NIL benefits for athlete. And the case was settled in January 2025, allowing college athletes to negotiate NIL deals during the recruiting process without fear of NCAA penalties.
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Meanwhile, the NCAA dropped into investigation into UT and Iamaleava.
Latest on Joey Aguilar vs. NCAA eligibility case
Now Norris will represent Aguilar, although the odds of victory aren't as favorable.
At the Feb. 10 hearing, Judge William Campbell will hear expert testimony, review affidavits and consider arguments from NCAA attorneys, Norris representing Aguilar and additional lawyers on behalf of other players.
Aguilar, UT's 2025 starting quarterback, has exhausted his eligibility. But if Campbell grants a preliminary injunction halting the NCAA eligibility rules involving former junior college players, Aguilar would retain his eligibility and have the option to play college football in 2026.
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If Campbell denies the request for an injunction, Aguilar's college career is over. Pavia, who initially filed the lawsuit in 2024, will not return to college next season, even if his case is successful. He has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
On Jan. 15, Campbell denied a request for a preliminary injunction in a similar case, where college football players sought to play a fifth season. They were challenging the NCAA redshirt rule, which allows an athlete to compete in four seasons over five years.
Could Joey Aguilar still play for Tennessee in 2026 season?
Tennessee failed to get an established starting quarterback from the transfer portal. Aguilar, who led the SEC with 3,565 passing yards, could start if he regains his eligibility.
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Ultimately, the Vols added Colorado backup Ryan Staub, who will provide depth alongside young quarterbacks George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon .
MacIntyre is a former four-star recruit who will be a redshirt freshman in 2026. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 69 yards in two games in 2025. Brandon is a five-star signee who enrolled at UT in January. He was ranked the No. 3 quarterback in the 2026 class by 247Sports Composite.
Here's how Aguilar could reenroll at Tennessee if he won in court
UT classes for the spring semester began Jan. 20, and Aguilar is no longer enrolled.
However, UT also offers a mini-session, giving students the option to cram a course into a condensed time frame during a half-semester. The session runs from March 18 to May 7.
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UT football players have utilized it before. In 2024, freshmen Kaleb Beasley and Edwin Spillman enrolled in mid-March on the first day of spring practice.
But that's only a possibility if Aguilar can pull off an improbable win in federal court. Plus, he is recovering from surgery on Jan. 2 to remove a benign tumor on his arm, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported. He'll be in recovery through late February.
Here is Aguilar's argument against NCAA eligibility rules
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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Pavia'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 the 24-year-old Aguilar, who started his career in junior college, would get one more season to play. He already has 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 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 Iamaleava.
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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 attorney beat NCAA for Tennessee, represented Donald Trump
