Overview
- Chancellor Christopher D. Heagerty dissolved a prior TRO and denied Aguilar’s preliminary injunction on Feb. 20, leaving the quarterback ineligible for 2026 absent a swift, unlikely appeal.
- The NCAA issued a statement praising the decision and reiterated plans to keep defending eligibility standards while urging federal action to stabilize rules.
- Aguilar argued his junior college seasons should not count toward Division I limits, but the judge found a low likelihood of success and warned an order could create broad uncertainty.
- Claims of $2 million to $4 million in projected NIL losses factored into Aguilar’s case, though the court pressed for concrete evidence of economic harm.
- Tennessee shifts to a spring quarterback competition featuring redshirt freshman George MacIntyre, five-star freshman Faizon Brandon, and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub, as Aguilar turns to the NFL combine next week.