Joey Aguilar, the quarterback for Tennessee, may encounter difficulties as reports about his future in 2026 are alarming. The Volunteers’ coach, Josh Huepel, will need to make changes via the portal due to an unfortunate development for Aguilar, one of the individuals who sued to get Diego Pavia eligible.

According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the NCAA is unlikely to grant another year of eligibility for Tennessee’s senior QB, Joey Aguilar. Sources told him that the waiver is still being pursued, but nothing is finalized yet. Aguilar spent the last season with the Volunteers and passed for 3,565 yards, completing 272 of 404 passes for 24 touchdowns and just ten interceptions in the first and probably the only season in the SEC. This unfortunate update puts the Vols in a position to look for a QB in the portal.

Aguilar came to Tennessee after spending two seasons with Appalachian State and a tumultuous spring practice with UCLA. Joey Aguilar did not play a single game for the Bruins before arriving in Knoxville. While it looks like three seasons in his collegiate career, Aguilar spent seven years in college football, starting his career in junior college. As per the NCAA, it allows only three seasons for junior college recruits at its member schools.

With that being said, Aguilar redshirted at City College of San Francisco in 2019, and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. He played only two junior college seasons at Diablo Valley College. While he hasn’t played two seasons, he joined Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia’s lawsuit to challenge the NCAA junior college rule in the federal court of Nashville, hoping for another year of eligibility.

While the case was filed and there wasn’t any update for a long time, HC Josh Huepel and the Vols staff approached the transfer portal without knowing whether they would need to look for a transfer portal QB for the 2026 season. However, this would force them to take a step in the QB room to get back on top for title contention, as their 2025 campaign ended with five losses.

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Joe Huepel’s Tennessee quarterback status

Irrespective of the court’s decision on Joey Aguilar, Josh Huepel’s actions in the portal reveal that they are prepared for all.  According to Saturday Blitz, Tennessee is targeting Arizona State QB transfer Sam Leavitt. He is the No. 2 QB in the transfer portal, and reports reveal Leavitt visited the Vols with LSU and Lane Kiffin during the Tigers’ basketball game.

“Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt arrived in Knoxville for his visit with Tennessee on Wednesday afternoon,” On3’s Pete Nakos wrote. “The top transfer quarterback was initially set to depart Knoxville on Thursday, but the trip has been extended. He’s coming off trips to Kentucky and LSU, and Miami is also viewed as a school to watch in this transfer recruitment. The Wildcats have since pulled out of the recruitment, landing Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey.”

On the other hand, reports reveal that Missouri’s Beau Pribula is also planning a visit to Knoxville. If things turn out well, Leavitt of MacIntyre will be joining the QB room with George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon, who announced their return for the 2026 season.