Joey Aguilar’s next move hinged on a courtroom timeline.
Aguilar sued the NCAA over its eligibility rules, arguing his junior college seasons should not count against his eligibility clock. He sought a fast decision, with spring practice and roster planning in view.
“There’s a lot of different factors and also Tennessee needs to know what their quarterback situation is,” OutKick national reporter Trey Wallace said.
At the center of the case was whether Aguilar would be granted immediate relief that allowed him to return to Tennessee activities while the lawsuit continued. Wallace pointed to a familiar legal path, where attorneys pursued quick action from a local judge.
“They’ve situated themselves pretty nice when it comes to at least, you know, getting a TRO,” Wallace said. “A TRO is going to grant him that ability (and) Josh Heupel can immediately put him on the roster, good to go.”
Wallace added that enrollment could move quickly if the legal process broke in Aguilar’s favor.
“He’s not enrolled at Tennessee, but that’s not a problem,” Wallace said. “You can get enrolled in a mini semester and all of a sudden you’re eligible to play. He can be on a roster.”
Wallace referenced Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako as a recent example of how quickly eligibility and enrollment could be handled once courts became involved.
Tennessee’s spring game was scheduled for April 11, adding urgency as the Volunteers tried to determine what their quarterback room would look like before spring practices and public evaluation points arrived.
Why the case mattered beyond one player
Aguilar’s lawsuit marked the latest challenge to NCAA eligibility enforcement, and Wallace suggested the sport was headed toward more legal maneuvering, not less.
“What you’re about to see in college football is going to be haywire in the spring because there are going to be a lot more lawsuits for players that want to leave their school even though the portal is not open,” Wallace said.
Wallace said NIL money was a major driver behind the growing legal activity.
“I think NIL is certainly the driver,” Wallace said. “The kid could make over $4 to $5 million next year.”
He framed the incentive structure bluntly when comparing another college season with Aguilar’s professional outlook.
“He’s going to be an undrafted free agent. He’s going to have to make a practice squad,” Wallace said, assessing Aguilar’s NFL prospects.
What was at stake for Tennessee
For Tennessee, Aguilar’s situation was less about abstract policy and more about immediate competitive outlook and quarterback development.
“This is a nine, 10-win football team that’s going to fight for a playoff spot,” Wallace said. “Simple as that.”
Wallace said the appeal of Aguilar returning was clarity and experience at a position filled with unknowns.
“We don’t really know anything about MacIntyre and Faizon,” Wallace said. “And they’re not going to throw Faizon out there into the wolves, in my opinion. They would like to give him a year.”
Tennessee’s quarterback room also included Colorado transfer Ryan Staub, a mix Wallace described as talented but not yet proven.
“I don’t think Heupel feels comfortable yet with George MacIntyre leading the charge,” Wallace said.
If Aguilar were allowed back, Wallace said it would change Tennessee’s ceiling.
“Getting Joey Aguilar back, to me, is going from the Gator Bowl to potentially a CFP first-round game,” he said.
Wallace framed the upside in terms Tennessee fans understood.
“Tennessee fans who are a little nervous heading into 2026 would be ecstatic,” Wallace said, pointing to the appeal of bringing back a quarterback who knew the system and had produced.
The risk: roster math and a logjam
The upside came with real tension inside the quarterback room. Wallace said Aguilar’s return could create a logjam that forced difficult decisions, including potential movement by younger quarterbacks.
“Do you really want to enter the spring with four quarterbacks?” Wallace said. “That’s about $7 million you’re spending on a room where only one of them is really going to play.”
Wallace outlined the pressure point for MacIntyre if Aguilar returned.
“Does he want to sit another year behind Joey Aguilar if that was the case?” Wallace said. “I don’t know if that would be the situation that I would want to be in as a quarterback.”
A decision Tennessee needed sooner rather than later
Wallace expected the timeline to move faster than fans might assume, given the practical stakes for both sides.
“We’ve got seven months to the season,” Wallace said. “This case is going to get figured out before the season starts.”
Until then, Tennessee balanced competing priorities: rewarding production and stability in the short term while protecting development and roster continuity for the future. As college football increasingly turned to courtrooms for answers, the outcome could shape not only Aguilar’s path, but how programs managed quarterback timelines in the NIL era.
“I don’t know how you put the genie back in the bottle,” Wallace said.
