After a wild, unexpected ride, Joey Aguilar's tenure as Tennessee quarterback is almost over.
The former Appalachian State signal-caller was placed in a tough situation when given Nico Iamaleava's expectations without his time in Knoxville. Aguilar gave the Vols some strong showings, leading Tennessee to an 8-4 record.
Aguilar is still fighting for additional eligibility, but Tuesday is the end of the road without a court-ordered injunction. That gives Aguilar perspective on where he's been this season and just how far he's taken himself and his team.
"I just came in in a short amount of time and I had to grind and get the playbook down and get the connections down with the teammates and my coaches and a lot of little details like that, that mean a little more," Aguilar said. "So, I’m just super grateful to be in the position I am and a lot of people wish they could be in my position and play for the University of Tennessee."
The Music City Bowl comes alongside a court filing from Aguilar and 25 other former junior college players, led by Diego Pavia. The plaintiffs seek another year of eligibility based on the injunction that allowed the Vanderbilt quarterback to play in 2025, effectively not counting junior college years against a player's four years.
After getting out-dueled by Pavia in Neyland Stadium, Aguilar's additional eligibility mostly rests on Pavia's legal team. The Antioch, Calif., native appeared on a college football roster in 2019 but has only played in NCAA competition for three seasons, starting with his two years at Appalachian State.
Boone, N.C., gave Aguilar his first taste of cold-weather football, something he will face in Nashville with temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s on Tuesday.
"Last couple of games we’re practicing in 10-degree weather out there in the snow and we’re trying to be tough out there with no long sleeves on, nothing on, freezing," Aguilar said. "But as you get going, it’s fun. Everybody out there enjoying it. So, I don’t think it’s too big of an aspect to worry about personally just because I’ve been in that type of weather already."
Between injuries and opt-outs, bowl games are often played with a far different starting unit than most regular-season games. That isn't the case for the Vols offense this year as most players will participate, including tight end Miles Kitselman, who returns after missing time from injury.
Even if the starters weren't back, Aguilar still felt confident in his ability to perform against Illinois. Between practice and buy games, he's played with most of Tennessee's offensive reserves.
"Live reps are a little different than practice reps, but I’ve been out there with all types of players out there," Aguilar said. "So it is very comforting, though, we’re out there playing one last game together and you got one more game of proof.”
With Aguilar's future eligibility unsettled, the 24-year-old has to play Tuesday's game like it's his last. While that's normally just a figure of speech, it applies literally to Tennessee's quarterback when he takes the field in Nashville.
"I’m excited to go out there and play one more time for this team," Aguilar said. "I’m super grateful for the coaches, community and players for accepting me in.”