Aguilar originally joined the Pavia case in November, seeking an additional year of eligibility after JUCO stops at Diablo Valley Community College (2021-22) and a transfer to App State. The lawsuit questions whether time spent at junior college should permanently count against a player’s eligibility under transfer and waiver rules.
Pavia’s camp obtained a preliminary injunction last year allowing him to play a sixth season in 2025, though he later indicated he does not plan to pursue another year at Vanderbilt. Aguilar’s aim remains to safeguard his football future while the broader legal dispute plays out in court.
In 2025, Aguilar completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,565 yards, with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions at Tennessee. With Jake Merklinger gone and Faizon Brandon arriving as a true freshman, the Tennessee QB room is thin beyond 2025, amplifying the pressure on Aguilar to secure eligibility for 2026.
The broader suit has included dramatic, tongue-in-cheek filings that spotlight perceived NCAA inconsistencies in eligibility rulings. Those developments underscore why Aguilar brought in an experienced attorney to advocate for his case, separate from the Pavia group.
On January 28, court filings showed Aguilar authorized Cam Norris of Consovoy McCarthy to represent him in his own eligibility matter against the NCAA. Norris, who lives in Knoxville and is a Vanderbilt Law graduate, harbors high-profile experience, including representing Donald Trump in cases before the Supreme Court on tax-return access issues.
Norris’s involvement signals that Tennessee fans should expect a continued, high-stakes push over Aguilar’s eligibility timeline even as he steps away from the Pavia suit. The evolving strategy, tied to Cam Norris’s track record and the NCAA’s evolving framework, suggests this storyline isn’t close to a resolution.
