The Joey Aguilar vs. the NCAA case has hit a major milestone in a Knox County courtroom. While everyone was hoping for a final ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on his judgment day today, the judge decided to delay a ruling for a few more days. According to Outkick’s Trey Wallace, it’s getting more complicated than ever before. It might actually turn out well for Tennessee’s gunslinger.

Trey Wallace has been on the ground in Knoxville covering Joey Aguilar’s fight for one more season with the Tennessee Vols. According to him, the atmosphere in court was intense. Aguilar is seeking an extra year of eligibility and is trying to apply the same JUCO-related rule that Diego Pavia argued in a separate Middle Tennessee federal court case.

“I will say the biggest thing that stood out to me today is that they can’t figure out what the damages are. When it comes to monetary damages, neither side can really prove anything because the NIL contracts out there right now are pretty under wraps,” Turner said, suggesting the case could set a significant legal precedent.

A key court issue was proving financial harm. Aguilar’s team disputed that his absence could hurt Tennessee financially, especially given that NIL deals are private. The judge asked for proof. But neither side could show how much money was lost. It’s because the QB salaries aren’t public. This made it hard to establish actual damages.

Judge Christopher Heagerty didn’t show any home-field advantage for the Vols, despite the courthouse being less than a mile from the stadium. Judge Heagerty seemed focused on one simple question: Can you prove the hard evidence of damage? Everyone may assume there’s money on the line, but in court, assumptions aren’t enough.

The financial stakes are massive for both Aguilar and the program, with his legal team estimating a potential loss of $2 to $4 million in NIL money if he cannot play. It’s because he played two years of junior college ball before transferring to Tennessee that the NCAA says his time is up.

Aguilar argues that his early years shouldn’t count the same way. Wallace has pointed out that this case could set a precedent for other athletes in a similar situation. For the time being, the temporary restraining order (TRO) remains in place until the judge rules on the injunction.

A decision could come in the next few days, though Monday is a federal holiday, which might slow things down for now. This could be good news for Joey Aguilar.

Joey Aguilar could end up as the last man standing

Josh Heupel and Tennessee fans are paying close attention because if Aguilar gets the green light, Tennessee’s playoff chances are three times higher. As a matter of fact, with weapons like Mike Matthews, DeSean Bishop, Ethan Davis, and Braylon Staley returning, there’s no reason the Vols can’t have a top-5 offense in the country, even the top 3 next season.

If the judge thought the case was weak, he could have thrown it out immediately. Instead, he wants more time to review it, which means he thinks it’s serious and worth considering. The judge is also a Tennessee graduate, so there’s that.

Both sides made strong arguments. The judge even said Aguilar may have suffered some kind of damage. There’s no clear timeline for a final decision, but it should come soon. Whatever happens could also affect other players dealing with the NCAA in similar cases.