Judge Denies Injunction for Joey Aguilar, Ruling Likely Ends Eligibility for 2026 Season
A Tennessee judge refused to grant a preliminary injunction sought by joey aguilar, a decision that likely makes him ineligible to play in the 2026 season and could effectively end his college career after one season as the Volunteers’ starting quarterback.
Judge denies preliminary injunction for Joey Aguilar
Knox County Chancellor Christopher Heagerty declined to convert a previously granted temporary restraining order into a longer-lasting preliminary injunction, seven days after a hearing in Knoxville. The NCAA had already denied Tennessee's request for what would have been a seventh year of eligibility for Joey Aguilar. The injunction ruling leaves the NCAA’s ineligibility determination intact for now; Aguilar can appeal, though injunction decisions are typically difficult to overturn.
How joey aguilar's collegiate timeline shaped the dispute
The legal challenge centers on NCAA rules that count seasons spent in junior college against an athlete’s eligibility clock. joey aguilar’s path included a redshirt season at San Francisco City College, a pandemic-canceled junior college season, two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College, and two seasons at Appalachian State before moving on to play for Tennessee. He had transferred briefly to UCLA prior to signing with Tennessee after a separate transfer affected the Volunteers’ quarterback room.
The complaint in Aguilar’s case noted financial figures tied to his time with Tennessee, including more than $1 million earned last season and an approximate $2 million projected for the season at issue. On the field, Aguilar completed a season with Tennessee that included 3, 565 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while the team finished 8-5.
Legal context, precedent and recent developments
Aguilar had previously been associated with a separate challenge to NCAA junior college rules brought by another quarterback; he was removed from that lawsuit and later retained new counsel, signaling a likely independent legal push. A prior legal challenge produced a narrow injunction that led the NCAA to offer a targeted waiver allowing some former junior college athletes an extra year of eligibility during the 2025–26 academic year. Aguilar used that waiver to play last season, after two years of junior college competition and two at App State.
Similar legal fights over eligibility have produced mixed results in other cases, with narrow temporary relief granted in some instances and preliminary injunctions denied in others. Those precedents have shaped the litigation strategy used by players and their attorneys and complicated eligibility decisions for major college programs.
What comes next for Joey Aguilar
The immediate practical effect of the injunction denial is that Joey Aguilar is expected to be ineligible to play in the upcoming college season. The judge’s decision was handed down after he had already issued a temporary restraining order, and Aguilar retains the right to appeal the injunction denial. The path forward could include an appeal or other legal steps, but injunction reversals are uncommon.
With the court decision standing, public filings indicate a change in on-field plans: Aguilar will now attend the NFL Combine. The shift from pursuing college eligibility to preparing for professional evaluation represents a major pivot for a player who spent time in junior college, at Appalachian State and then one season as Tennessee’s starting quarterback.
Implications for NCAA eligibility rules
The Aguilar ruling underscores the ongoing legal pressure on NCAA rules that treat junior college seasons as counting toward an athlete’s eligibility clock. This case joins a broader set of legal challenges that have produced narrow injunctions, waivers and mixed judicial outcomes, leaving unresolved questions about how eligibility clocks should apply to athletes with interrupted or nontraditional collegiate timelines. Recent updates indicate details may continue to evolve as related litigation proceeds.
