Joey Aguilar has surgery to remove tumor in arm, per report
Published:
Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar battled through an unfortunate injury during his 2025 campaign in Knoxville.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Aguilar had surgery on Friday to remove a benign tumor in his arm. Per Rapoport, the tumor caused weakness and pain in Aguilar’s arm as it was pushing on his bicep tendon and labrum.
Rapoport adds that a full recovery is expected in 8 weeks:
That certainly adds some context to Aguilar’s lone season in Knoxville. Despite the ailment, Aguilar still threw for 3,565 yards and 24 touchdown passes in 13 games. He didn’t miss any action due to the tumor.
Aguilar is seeking a 6th season of eligibility in 2026, but may turn pro and enter the NFL Draft this offseason. He’s coming off of an impressive season with the Vols. Tennessee‘s offense averaged 6.5 yards per play this season, which ranked 20th nationally. That’s also Tennessee’s best performance in that category since 2022.
Looking ahead to the future, Tennessee is expected to pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal if Aguilar does not receive an extra year of eligibility. The Vols also signed 5-star quarterback Faizon Brandon out of high school in the class of 2026.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
