Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Knox County Chancery Court, seeking an extension of his eligibility for an additional season. Aguilar, who transferred to the Vols before the 2025 season, is being blocked from playing a fourth year of Division I football by the NCAA, which could deprive Tennessee of a gifted quarterback and rob Aguilar of millions in compensation. Aguilar played his fifth season of college football this past season, but the first two were spent at the junior college level. He played for Diablo Valley Community College in central California before transferring to Appalachian State for his first two seasons of Division I college football. If he wins the suit and is granted an extra year of eligibility, 2026 would be Aguilar’s sixth season overall. The news of the lawsuit comes days after Aguilar was granted a voluntary dismissal as a plaintiff in the Diego Pavia eligibility lawsuit. Aguilar had previously joined the suit as a plaintiff in November. If he had not been voluntarily dismissed, Aguilar and 25 other student-athletes were set to see their date in court on February 10th through an extension of Pavia’s lawsuit. Aguilar's attorney, Cam Norris, represented President Donald Trump in 2022 when he was a candidate before the U.S. Supreme Court. During his lone season so far at Tennessee, Aguilar helped lead the team to an 8-5 finish in 2025. He finished the season with 3,565 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, adding four more touchdowns on the ground. His passing yards total was good for 12th best in the country this past season. Before he arrived in Knoxville, he played 25 games for Appalachian State, logging 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions over 25 appearances.
