KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar was back in court Friday for his lawsuit against the NCAA seeking another year of college eligibility.
Aguilar had a preliminary injunction hearing in Knox County Chancery Court after he was granted a temporary restraining order last week while the case proceeded. Chancellor Christopher D. Heagerty, who issued the restraining order, said he would make a ruling in the near future whether Aguilar can return to the Volunteers.
Aguilar filed his lawsuit earlier in the month arguing that he should be allowed a fourth year of playing Division I football rather than having the years he spent in junior college count against his eligibility.
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Aguilar played at Diablo Valley (California) Community College from 2021-22 before transferring to Appalachian State, where he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Aguilar then transferred to Tennessee and completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,565 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this past season.
He also redshirted at City College of San Francisco in 2019 before the 2020 season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Aguilar had removed himself from the list of plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit that Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia filed in federal court. Pavia’s lawsuit challenged an NCAA rule that counts seasons spent at junior colleges against players’ eligibility for Division I football.
Heagerty was concerned that a decision in a Tennessee court could have national implications.
Aguilar’s attorney Cam Norris tried to keep everything specific to the case at hand.
“This is not about taking spots from other players,” Norris said. “It’s not about how old you should be to play college football. This is not about the future of college football.”
NCAA attorney Taylor Askew argued the NCAA rules regarding the eligibility of junior college players – agreed to by all members – have been in place for many years.
Before Askew was finished, he turned to Aguilar and said, “You’re a hero to kids in Knoxville. That doesn’t mean you can break the rules.”
Even if he is cleared by the court, Aguilar wouldn’t be able to return to the field right away. He is still recovering from having a benign tumor removed from his shoulder after the season.
