Unlike Trinidad Chambliss, the football gods weren’t in favor of Tennessee Volunteers QB Joey Aguilar’s eighth-year eligibility. When the Big Orange got hit with devastating news, the former Ole Miss Rebels head coach, Lane Kiffin, came into the picture and dropped his biggest “told you so.”

On February 20, college football senior insider, Pete Thamel, hopped onto X and arguably handed Josh Heupel his biggest offseason L so far: “Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar’s injunction for another year of eligibility has been denied by a local judge, source tells ESPN. He’ll turn pro and attend the NFL Combine next week. Tennessee will have a new starting quarterback for the fifth straight year.”

As devastating as it was, Lane Kiffin seemed to think he had it coming. Within three hours or so, the LSU Tigers HC threw a straight uppercut shade, implying that Aguilar’s team made a big mistake by not hiring a specific high-profile lawyer to handle the case.

“When you don’t get @TomMarsLaw involved ……..”

The whole drama started because Aguilar wanted a sixth season on the field. He argued that the two years he spent playing in junior college shouldn’t count against his NCAA clock. What’s fascinating and disheartening at the same time is that the former Sun Belt Gunslinger had $2 million in NIL on the table waiting for him in Knoxville.

It’s a huge payday to lose to lose out on just because a judge didn’t see things his way. When Aguilar first started this lawsuit, Kiffin actually reached out publicly and suggested that he hire Tom Mars.

“Why not?? 1-800-TomMarsLaw,” Kiffin on X back 1st week of February.

Instead, Joey Aguilar chose attorney Cam Norris for his big legal fight. Make no mistake, Norris is a pretty big deal in Knoxville and has even worked for Nico Iamaleava and President Donald Trump. While Aguilar started out as part of a larger group lawsuit, he eventually decided to branch off and have Norris represent him solo in state court. Unfortunately for him, that move didn’t lead to a win.

The reason Kiffin brought up Tom Mars is that the guy is basically a legend when it comes to beating the NCAA. He’s known as the “NCAA Slayer” because he has helped around 50 athletes regain their eligibility, including Justin Fields in 2019. Although he didn’t win all of them, his track record is so strong that the NCAA once hired him as an “independent external advocate” because they had a hard time beating him in court.

To make things even more awkward for Aguilar, Mars was actually handling a nearly identical case for Trinidad Chambliss at the same time and had won that one. Kiffin was basically pointing out that if Aguilar had hired the “gold standard” lawyer, he might be $2 million richer right now.

With Joey Aguilar’s college career done in Knoxville, what’s next for him and Josh Heupel?

Joey Aguilar’s next step

It’s a shame fans won’t see him jersey up for one more season. He’s arguably one of the most entertaining gunslingers in college and the best quarterback the Vols have had since Hendon Hooker.

The man has thrown for 24 touchdowns, 3565 yards (top of SEC), 10 picks, while hitting 67.3% of his passes. The 10 picks might scare some folks off, but that’s the price that comes with being an old-school gunslinger.

Since he’s talented for sure, the word is he’s heading straight to the NFL Combine next week in Indy. Scouts could draft him in the late rounds after he performed pretty well in a pro-style offense. If the NCAA had approved his eligibility, he could’ve pushed his stock into the first or second round next season. Considering the weapons Tennessee had stacked around him, he was poised to ball out.

As for Tennessee, they are in a bit of a tough spot. They have to find a new starting quarterback for the fifth year in a row. George MacIntyre, Faizon Brandon (true FR), and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub will be squaring off in spring ball. Since the team lacks a quarterback with legitimate starting experience, the Vols could potentially have one of the worst seasons under Heupel next season.