The Tennessee Volunteers lost their starting quarterback as Joey Aguilar had his request for an injunction against the NCAA denied in a Knoxville courtroom. The denial seemed evident as Aguilar's case was far different than Trinidad Chambliss' which was approved the week prior. While Aguilar could've continued his fight, his college career is now certainly finished as he'll attend the NFL Combine and look to turn pro.
The timing for Tennessee is less than ideal as the Volunteers could've looked harder for a Transfer if it happened a month prior. Now, the Transfer Portal is closed to new entries, and almost every potential starter for a team like Tennessee is off the board.
The Volunteers could still poach a quarterback in a unique way
The plan now appears to be having George MacIntyre, Ryan Staub, and Faizon Brandon battling it out for the job during Spring camp. MacIntyre and Brandon are without a start in their career, but both were recruited by Josh Heupel coming out of High School. If either proves to be ready to start next season, then Josh Heupel and his staff don't need to take any additional steps.
If it becomes clear this Spring that Tennessee's younger duo isn't ready to start a season in the SEC, then Josh Heupel and his staff will need to find a quarterback. While the Transfer Portal is still closed, Tennessee could still add a quarterback who simply unenrolls at their current school and enrolls at Tennessee.
Last offseason, Jake Retzlaff's off-field court case led to him facing an Honor Code punishment from BYU. Rather than facing suspension, Retzlaff unenrolled and enrolled at Tulane allowing him to move after the Transfer Portal was closed.
The biggest hurdle for Tennessee would be any NIL or Revenue Sharing deals that a quarterback may have. Schools have done a much better job with getting these athletes locked into contracts that could keep Tennessee from making an addition.
Josh Heupel and his staff have an interesting next 6 months before the season begins as this roster had some question marks to begin with and now, a quarterback battle begins creating an even bigger storyline.