Joey Aguilar comments on his potential last game with Tennessee
By David Wasson
Published:
The Tennessee Volunteers completed a disappointing 2025 season Tuesday night with a 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music City Bowl – capping an 8-5 record that saw the Vols fail to win a game against a team that finished with a .500-or-better record.
The loss was probably also the final game for Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, who transferred from Appalachian State to Knoxville in 2025 to throw for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
Although Aguilar is seeking to play a sixth season in 2026 as part of the lawsuit against the NCAA’s eligibility rules for former junior college players, he acknowledged that Tuesday’s Music City Bowl might have been his final game as a Vol.
“I just can’t thank Coach, teammates enough for believing in me and trusting me to lead this team,” Aguilar said after the Tennessee loss. “Obviously, there’s a lot I think I could have done better, but it’s been a great year in this short amount of time I’ve been here. Made a lot of relationships with my teammates and coaches that’ll last longer than a 12-game season.
“It goes beyond sports but just super grateful for these guys for believing in me and trusting me to go out there and lead them.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
