'I guess we'll see': Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar undecided on his future plans

Joey Aguilar had the same answer Saturday night that he’s had in the past. Will the Tennessee Football quarterback consider another season with the Vols, should he be given another year of eligibility? 

“I guess we’ll see,” Aguilar said. “I’m not sure.”

It was reported last Friday that Aguilar was one of multiple players who added their names as plaintiffs to Diego Pavia’s lawsuit, which was initially filed in November 2024 seeking additional eligibility for those who previously played junior college football. 

Aguilar last week, after Tennessee’s 31-11 win at Florida, was asked if his name being added to the lawsuit changed anything about his future. 

“I’ve still got the same answer,” Aguilar said in Gainesville. “I’m just going to finish out this year and see what happens.”

Joey Aguilar played two seasons at Diablo Community College

A preliminary injunction allowed Pavia to play for Vandy this season. He led the Commodores to a 10-win season for the first time in program history, throwing for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushing for 826 yards and nine touchdowns. 

Aguilar, an Antioch, Calif., native, has had a whirlwind six months at Tennessee. He arrived in Knoxville in May after transferring from UCLA. He had transferred to UCLA in December, then left after the Bruins signed Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava out of the transfer portal. 

He spent the previous two seasons at Appalachian State, where he threw for 6,760 yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions in 25 games. 

Aguilar played two seasons at Diablo Community College in California, in 2021 and 2022, before transferring up to Appalachian State. 

‘Grateful to go out there one more time with the guys in a bowl game’

On Saturday night Aguilar completed 29 of 44 passes for 299 yards and a touchdown, giving him 3,444 yards on the season and moving him to fourth place on Tennessee’s single season passing list.

He passed Peyton Manning’s 3,287 yards in 1996 and now trails only Manning in 1997, with 3,819 yards, as well as Tyler Bray (3,612 yards in 2012) and Erik Ainge (3,522 yards in 2007).

“I’m blessed for this one year (at Tennessee) and grateful to be here for this year,” Aguilar said on November 10. “I’m just thankful and took advantage of the opportunity. I’m going to try to see where I could go at the next level. And if something happens, something happens.”

Tennessee, after ending the regular season at 8-4, now awaits news on its bowl game destination, which will provide Aguilar at least one more chance to play for the Vols.

“Grateful to go out there one more time with the guys in a bowl game and be out there at practice,” Aguilar said. “Practice is really where you make all the most memories. You only get a certain amount of game days, but practice man, just excited to attack it one more time with the guys.”