Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has become the latest player to take legal action against the NCAA in an attempt to play another season of college football.
Aguilar filed a lawsuit Monday in Knox County (Tennessee) court against the NCAA seeking a seventh season of eligibility. Aguilar, a California native, played just one season with the Volunteers after transferring from UCLA and Appalachian State.
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The quarterback has officially lost eligibility and is currently unable to return for the 2026 season. Aguilar said in the complaint, “The NCAA generally allows athletes to play four full seasons, and Aguilar only played three; but the NCAA arbitrarily counted the years he played at a junior college at a non-NCAA school as the number of years he played for the NCAA. The NCAA refused to grant Aguilar an additional year of eligibility, even though it competed with all former JUCO players who were relieved last year after losing a similar case against Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt’s starting quarterback.”
Pavia was able to compete in 2025 after receiving an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA to make up for his time in junior college. This past season was his sixth in college football, as he began his junior college career in 2020.
Aguilar’s college career began a year ago. He redshirted one season at San Francisco Community College in 2019 before the school’s 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then played two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College before transferring to Appalachian State University for two seasons.
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After the 2024 season, Aguilar transfers to UCLA and prepares to compete for the Bruins’ starting quarterback position. However, Tennessee quarterback Nico Yamalewa transferred to UCLA in the spring, and Aguilar essentially swapped spots with the former Vols quarterback.
Aguilar’s extra season in college football makes his situation not directly comparable to Pavia’s. With the NCAA granting players an extra season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Pavia played five seasons over five years starting in 2025 before exhausting eligibility.
Aguilar also played five seasons over five years from 2021 to 2025, and he is currently asking for a sixth season, largely because two of those three seasons were played at a junior college. Pavia spent one of his four seasons at Juko.
Frankly, Tennessee needs Aguilar back for the 2026 season. He stated in the filing that he has an available roster spot next season and the Vols would be foolish not to bring him back. With Aguilar’s eligibility officially over, the school attracted numerous quarterbacks in the transfer portal but ultimately fell through. Aguilar’s return will greatly improve Tennessee’s chances of competing in the SEC next season.
