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Joey Aguilar's future with Tennessee left for judge to decide after hearing
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- Joey Aguilar's future with Tennessee left for judge to decide after hearing
Every key figure in the Knoxville courtroom agreed that they admire Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar , even the judge in the lawsuit challenging the NCAA's eligibility rules regarding former junior college football players.
But whether the 24-year-old Aguilar gets to play one more season for the Vols seems uncertain.
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Chancellor Chris Heagerty made it clear that he wouldn't give preferential treatment to Aguilar during a preliminary injunction hearing at Knox County Chancery Court on Feb. 13.
Heagerty interrogated Aguilar's attorney on every point of his argument throughout much of the two-hour hearing as a room full of reporters listened closely.
"An injunction is one of the most sacrosanct things there is," Heagerty said. "You can't just hand it out like popcorn. … I'm very proud of (Aguilar) being able to wear orange. But how is it going to affect him and how is it going to affect the statute that I have to interpret because this statue was (passed) 18 months ago."
Heagerty said he will issue a ruling in "very short order." Court is closed for the weekend and President's Day is Feb. 16, so an order could come soon after that.
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If the injunction is granted, it opens the door to Aguilar playing for the Vols in the 2026 season , which begins in September. Only a speedy and successful appeal by the NCAA would reverse the order, and those odds would be in Aguilar's favor.
If the injunction is denied, it would all but close the door to Aguilar playing for the Vols. He also could appeal the ruling or simply start preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft and try to extend his football career in the professional ranks.
Aguilar was not available for comment after the hearing.
NCAA accused judge of favoritism: 'This court bleeds orange'
Momentum seemed to be on Aguilar's side when we strolled into the Knoxville courtroom. The assumption was that a state court would be favorable to a football star from the local university.
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A day earlier, a Mississippi judge got emotional when he granted a preliminary injunction to Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss . It restored Chambliss' eligibility because that judge determined the player should've been granted a medical hardship waiver for his 2022 season at Ferris State.
NCAA attorneys anticipated home cooking by a local judge in the Aguilar case, and they said so in a court filing before the hearing began.
"(Aguilar) here is betting that in a contest between the Court's allegiance to the University of Tennessee football and the law, this Court bleeds orange," the NCAA attorneys wrote in their response to Heagerty's temporary restraining order.
Heagerty, a two-time UT graduate, paid homage to Aguilar, who led the SEC with 3,565 passing yards in 2025, the third most in a single season in Vols history.
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"This young man, (I am) very proud of him being able to wear orange," Heagerty said. "(Aguilar) provides a service, a very good one by the way."
But Heagerty wasn't so kind to Cam Norris , Aguilar's attorney. He tried to poke holes in Norris' argument that Aguilar shouldn't be prevented from earning millions of dollars in NIL money by playing one more season at UT.
Norris also argued that UT football would miss out on revenue if Aguilar wasn't in the lineup because he's an experienced quarterback. Heagerty was frustrated that Norris couldn't supply a dollar figure to that hypothetical.
Why Joey Aguilar's potential NIL pay is a sticking point
The interesting turn in the hearing is that it came down to money.
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Heagerty kept fishing for someone to tell him what Aguilar's damages would be if the UT quarterback wasn't granted the preliminary injunction, but he never got a satisfactory answer.
As things are, Aguilar's damages are conceptual. Aguilar doesn't have a signed NIL contract, something he can't have without being granted eligibility.
According to his complaint in the lawsuit, UT has a spot available on the 2026 roster for Aguilar, as well as access to " approximately $2 million " in NIL money for the quarterback. But during the hearing, Norris also proposed that Aguilar could earn up to $4 million in NIL money.
The market fluctuates wildly, which makes it difficult to identify damages in the case.
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Heagerty could grant the injunction without knowing what the damages would be, but he'd have to recognize the loss of playing football as a damage. Or he could deny it, ruling in favor of the NCAA, and have Aguilar prove what the damages would be through the court process.
The latter scenario would take the case to trial, which would extend well beyond the 2026 football season. Aguilar could recoup NIL money lost, if he won at trial, but he'd never get another chance to play college football.
Should Joey Aguilar's junior college seasons count?
At the heart of the case is a basic argument over what should constitute NCAA eligibility. Aguilar has spent almost seven years in college football, but only the past three at NCAA schools.
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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.
Aguilar argued that junior college competition shouldn't factor into NCAA seasons of eligibility or an athlete's eligibility clock because junior colleges are not part of the NCAA. Under that interpretation, Aguilar has played three NCAA seasons in three years, so he'd have one season remaining.
NCAA attorney Taylor Askew , a UT law school graduate, professed his love for Tennessee football and admiration for Aguilar. But he also argued that NCAA rules were agreed upon by every member school, and UT shouldn't ignore them for the sake of one player.
"We have to say, 'Tennessee is better than this. We're better than this. We don't have to go to court to get our guy back. We don't have to play somebody who is ineligible under the rules to win games. We don't do that at Tennessee,'" Askew said.
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"We can make that decision without taking anything away from Mr. Aguilar in terms of how fantastic he was."
Tennessee starts spring football practice on March 16.
If the injunction is granted, Aguilar will be eligible and remain UT's starting quarterback.
If the injunction is denied and Aguilar is ineligible, the Vols likely must move on. Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre , five-star freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub would then compete for the starting quarterback job in the 2026 season.
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 eligibility as Tennessee QB in judge's hands after hearing
