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A Knoxville judge shut down Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar’s eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA, denying him a preliminary injunction that would’ve let him play in 2026. Multiple outlets confirmed the news, which is a huge loss for Aguilar and – frankly – a rare win for the NCAA after getting hammered in several recent eligibility cases.
Aguilar was trying to pull off what Ole Miss star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss managed earlier this month. Chambliss got his own temporary injunction from a Mississippi chancery court in February, but the situations aren’t really the same.
Chambliss successfully argued he deserved another year because of a health condition that affected him back in 2022. Aguilar’s case? His attorneys were pushing a different angle – they wanted his junior college years not to count against his NCAA eligibility clock. He spent two years at City College of San Francisco (2019-20) before heading to Diablo Valley College for another two seasons (2021-22), then signed with Appalachian State before the 2023 season.
The judge wasn’t buying it.
That argument didn’t hold up the way Chambliss’ medical case did, and unless there’s some lightning-fast appeal reversal (which seems unlikely), Aguilar won’t be suiting up for the Vols this fall.
What Aguilar’s departure means for Tennessee’s QB situation
Losing Aguilar leaves a massive hole under center. He was one of the SEC’s most productive quarterbacks last season – completing 67.3% of his passes for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2025. He would’ve been among the top returning signal-callers in the conference this year.
Tennessee took a swing at landing one of the portal’s elite quarterbacks. They went hard after Sam Leavitt before LSU locked him down, but came up empty.
Now Josh Heupel’s looking at one of the SEC’s most fascinating – and nerve-wracking – spring quarterback competitions.
The options are pretty green. Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre saw action in just two games last season, completing seven of nine passes for 69 yards. There’s also true freshman Faizon Brandon, a five-star prospect from the 2026 class who ranked as the No. 3 player nationally and the No. 3 quarterback. Colorado transfer Ryan Staub rounds out the group.
MacIntyre’s edge over Brandon isn’t game experience – it’s that he’s had a year to learn Heupel’s system. That might not sound like much, but in a high-tempo offense like Tennessee’s, that extra time absorbing the playbook could matter.
For a Tennessee team hoping to make a College Football Playoff run in 2026, Aguilar’s absence puts enormous pressure on their young quarterback room to develop fast. It also puts the spotlight squarely on Heupel to pick the right guy between two unproven freshmen – and get him ready before the season kicks off.
