The Tennessee Volunteers have been hedging their bets over their quarterback room after Joey Aguilar filed a lawsuit seeking an extra year of eligibility that would allow him to return to college football for an additional season. Coach Josh Heupel’s team has been linked to several quarterbacks, but the QB market has thinned with no resolution in sight.
Joey Aguilar Decision Leaves Tennessee in QB Limbo
On Monday, ‘WATE 6 News” reporter Sam Rothman revealed on X that Aguilar’s case would not be resolved before the transfer portal window closes on Jan. 16, leaving the Volunteers in limbo over their quarterback situation.
“BREAKING: It doesn’t look like a resolution in Joey Aguilar’s case vs. the NCAA is coming anytime soon. On a conference call today, the judge said he can’t meet with the plaintiffs and defendants this week…despite the portal closing Friday,” Rothman tweeted.
“Both the plaintiffs and the defense (NCAA) did agree to forego live testimony to move up the hearing before the portal window closes. However, a hearing is to be scheduled in the next few weeks, which of course is not ideal. There’s about 20 players awaiting a decision. #Vols.”
Aguilar enrolled at the City College of San Francisco in 2019, where he redshirted and did not play the following season, as it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He transferred to Diablo Valley, where he played for two seasons before finally making the climb to Division I football with the Appalachian State Mountaineers (2023-2024).
Initially, Aguilar committed to playing for the UCLA Bruins from the transfer portal, but after Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferred there, he joined the Volunteers. He tallied 3,565 passing yards, resulting in 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while adding 101 rushing yards and four scores, earning him a PFSN College QB Impact OFFI score of 87.1.
Vols Pivot to Unexpected SEC QB
On Sunday evening, AL.com reporter Nick Kelly revealed on X that several schools had offered Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson massive deals to stay in college football for an extra season, despite his declaration for the 2026 NFL Draft last week.
Among the schools named were the Vols, who reportedly offered Simpson $4 million to join the program; however, their offer was surpassed by the Miami Hurricanes, who offered $6.5 million to the talented quarterback.
The Vols also hosted the No. 1 quarterback in the portal, Sam Leavitt, last week. Still, LSU Tigers coach Lane Kiffin flew to Knoxville for an extra meeting with the former Arizona State star and on Monday, secured his commitment.
