The NCAA and Tennessee Volunteers are currently waiting on a decision from Judge Christopher D. Heagerty on quarterback Joey Aguilar’s eligibility for the 2026 season.
This comes less than a week after a Mississippi court granted Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss an additional season of eligibility.
Aguilar filed a lawsuit earlier in February and was given a temporary restraining order, pending the decision. He’s arguing that he should be granted a fourth year of playing Division I football and that his JUCO years should not count against him.
What makes these two cases unique?
On paper, there are plenty of similarities between the Aguilar and Chambliss cases. Both are SEC quarterbacks. Both went to court, seeking an additional year of eligibility. They even both filed in state courts, which would presumably be friendlier to the schools they attend, rather than the NCAA. However, there are some important distinctions in these two cases.
Chambliss argued that he deserved a medical redshirt for the 2022 season, in which he did not play. He was also able to provide documentation of an illness, tonsillitis, and medical redshirts are something the NCAA historically does hand out. It had just chosen not to in his case. It was a quick decision for Chambliss. He had his sixth year of eligibility.
Aguilar, however, is simply arguing that JUCO years shouldn’t count toward his eligibility at all. NCAA rules have always held that JUCO seasons count against potential seasons playing NCAA football, without the same exceptions granted to medical redshirts historically.
For his part, Aguilar played four seasons of JUCO football from 2019 to 2022. He later transferred to Appalachian State, UCLA and Tennessee, and has played FBS football from 2023 to 2025. He is seeking a fourth season of FBS football. That’s already seven seasons removed from high school, having used a redshirt and the bonus season due to COVID-19.
In other words, while the two quarterbacks hope for the same result and have sought favorable courts to get those results, they’re not the same cases.
What impact could come from the Joey Aguilar decision?
Neither Chambliss nor Aguilar is unique in their challenge for more eligibility. The NCAA actually has a fairly strong record of winning these court cases, meaning eligibility standards are one of the few rules it still has some success enforcing.
However, an Aguilar win would set a seismic change in precedent. Before this, JUCO years counted the same as years playing NCAA football, regardless of the level. It would then open the door for further lawsuits, using his win as the basis for the arguments for additional eligibility.
For Tennessee’s part, the Volunteers would then return a veteran quarterback who would likely be paid a small fortune in NIL and revenue sharing. That amount is likely more than he would make in the NFL.
Aguilar is expecting a ruling in the near future. However, the judge in his case is taking notably longer than the judge in the Chambliss case did to make his ruling. The two sides argued their cases in court on Feb. 13.
