Skip to main content
Wednesday, November 11, 2026Nov 11

Waiting game continues for Aguilar, football Vols after Friday hearing

Tennessee Athletics photo by Andrew Ferguson / Quarterback Joey Aguilar is seeking a second season at Tennessee, which would also be his sixth season of playing college football.
Tennessee Athletics photo by Andrew Ferguson / Quarterback Joey Aguilar is seeking a second season at Tennessee, which would also be his sixth season of playing college football. Tennessee Athletics photo by Andrew Ferguson / Quarterback Joey Aguilar is seeking a second season at Tennessee, which would also be his sixth season of playing college football.

It took a long time for Joey Aguilar to become Tennessee’s quarterback.

It will take a little longer to learn whether Aguilar will keep playing for the Volunteers.

Following a hearing Friday afternoon that lasted more than two hours, Knox County Chancery Court Chancellor Christopher D. Heagerty announced that he would not rule from the bench, adding, “You should have my opinion in very short order.”

Aguilar is arguing for a fourth year at an NCAA Division I institution, having played two seasons at Appalachian State and one at Tennessee, and that his two years playing in junior college should not count toward his eligibility clock. Junior colleges are not under the guidance of the NCAA.

Friday’s hearing occurred roughly two weeks after Aguilar broke away from a class-action lawsuit and roughly a week after Heagerty granted a temporary restraining order for Aguilar that allowed him to join winter workouts at the university. Heagerty said Friday that Aguilar’s TRO would be extended until his opinion is issued.