Joey Aguilar gets restraining order vs NCAA. What’s next for Tennessee QB?
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has been granted a temporary restraining order against NCAA eligibility rules by a Knoxville judge, serving as the first step toward his potential return for the Vols in the 2026 season.
On Feb. 4, Chancellor Christopher Heagerty issued the 15-day order in Knox County Chancery Court. It prohibits the NCAA from restricting Aguilar’s eligibility because he played junior college football before his Division I career. But it’s just a short-term measure.
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The next step for Aguilar is to seek a preliminary injunction, which could extend his eligibility to the 2026 season. An injunction hearing is set for Feb. 6.
Heagerty gave four reasons for the emergency order, which was obtained by Knox News:
Plaintiff has demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of his claim that the NCAA’s “JUCO rule” violated the Tennessee Trade Practices Act.
Immediate and irreparable injury will result to the Plaintiff if the restraining order is not issued. Every day that Aguilar’s future remains uncertain leaves him unable to prepare for the next step of his career.
The balance of harms please Plaintiff. The requested relief runs only to Aguilar. And the NCAA suffers no harm if Aguilar can play NCAA football for a fourth full season. The NCAA waived the JUCO rule for Aguilar and hundreds of other athletes in 2025.
No adequate remedy of law exists before a hearing can be had due to the time-sensitive nature of Plaintiff’s claim. Each day that passes leaves Aguilar unable to prepare and jeopardize major career opportunities, lost time and opportunities that cannot be fully calculated or remedied with money damages.
In Aguilar’s complaint, attorney Cam Norris asked for a quick resolution. If Aguilar regains his eligibility, he could re-enroll at UT in March and potentially participate in spring practice. If the injunction is denied, he’ll turn his attention to NFL draft workouts.
“(Aguilar) cannot wait much longer to know whether he is eligible to play college football in 2026,” his complaint says. “If the answer is no, he must turn his full attention to preparing for the NFL draft, a detailed process that takes months of preparation. And if the answer is yes, Aguilar needs to be throwing with his receivers, joining spring practice in March, and otherwise preparing to be the starting quarterback for a major SEC football program.”
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In 2025, Aguilar led the SEC with 3,565 passing yards, the third most in a single season in UT history, along with 24 TD passes. According to the complaint, UT has a spot available on the 2026 roster for Aguilar, as well as access to “approximately $2 million” in NIL money for the quarterback.
The court’s ruling could have a significant impact on Tennessee’s quarterback plan.
The Vols failed to land a premier starting quarterback in the transfer portal. If Aguilar remains ineligible, redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, five-star freshman Faizon Brandon and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub will compete for the starting job in the 2026 season.
Why it matters that Joey Aguilar played only three NCAA seasons
Aguilar, 24, has spent seven years in college football, but only three seasons at NCAA member schools. That’s why he is challenging the NCAA eligibility rules regarding junior college players.
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The NCAA allows players to compete for four seasons within five years. And it counts junior college seasons toward that total and time period even though junior colleges are not part of the NCAA.
Numerous lawsuits around the country seek to change the NCAA’s eligibility rules so junior college competition wouldn’t factor into NCAA seasons of eligibility or an athlete’s eligibility clock. Only seasons at an NCAA institution would count as part of NCAA eligibility, giving Aguilar one more season to play.
In 2019, Aguilar redshirted at City College of San Francisco. In 2020, the COVID pandemic canceled his junior college season there. In 2021-22, he played two junior college seasons at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California.
His NCAA career began in 2023 when he played at Appalachian State. He transferred to UCLA for spring 2025, and then transferred to Tennessee in essentially a quarterback swap involving Nico Iamaleava.
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How Aguilar could reroll at Tennessee for spring practice
Tennessee starts spring practice on March 16. The question is whether Aguilar would be a full participant if he were eligible.
Aguilar underwent surgery on Jan. 2 to remove a benign tumor on his arm. According to his court filing, he expects to be fully recovered soon, perhaps in late February.
Aguilar is not enrolled at UT. However, the university offers a mini-session, giving students the option to cram a course into a condensed time frame during a half-semester. That session runs from March 18 to May 7.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. E-mail adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joey Aguilar: Tennessee QB gets restraining order in NCAA eligibility lawsuit
