Joey Aguilar’s final college football chapter is being shaped by court filings, attorneys, and the NCAA’s increasingly fragile eligibility framework. Tennessee was in a limbo at QB, but his newly hired lawyer, who has already been here before, just pointed a direction. And the latest development reshapes where the QB stands in that fight.

On January 30, On3 reported that Joey Aguilar was granted a voluntary dismissal as a plaintiff in Diego Pavia’s federal eligibility lawsuit, according to court documents. He joined the suit in November, hoping to secure an additional year of eligibility. But the dismissal made him retain his own legal counsel with Cam Norris. 

Joey Aguilar’s original involvement in the Diego Pavia lawsuit stemmed from the NCAA’s eligibility rules for former junior college players. Like Pavia, the Vols QB played JUCO football for two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College from 2021 to 2022 before transferring to App State. The lawsuit challenges whether that time should permanently count against eligibility where transfers, exceptions, and waivers are inconsistently applied.

Diego Pavia received a preliminary injunction last year allowing him to play a sixth season in 2025, arguing his time at New Mexico Military Institute shouldn’t count. While attorneys attempted to expand the case, he later said he doesn’t plan to play another year at Vanderbilt. But Pavia kept the case alive as 26 other plaintiffs joined him, including Aguilar. 

In 2025, Joey Aguilar completed 67.3% of his passes for 3,565 yards, 24 TDs, and 10 interceptions at Tennessee. Josh Heupel’s QB room beyond 2025 is thin. Jake Merklinger is gone. Faizon Brandon arrives as a true freshman. That’s why there’s pressure for him to fill in for 2026 by getting that eligibility. 

The broader lawsuit hasn’t lacked drama. In December, Diego Pavia’s attorney, Ryan Downton, cheekily opened his memo with a reference to “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” He pointed out former NBA draft pick James Nnaji getting four years of college basketball eligibility at Baylor despite playing professionally in Europe. Nnaji was also drafted 31st overall in the NBA by the Detroit Pistons.

It underlined the hypocrisy and showed that the NCAA’s rules are uneven. That’s why Joey Aguilar brought an experienced voice to represent his case. 

Is Joey Aguilar’s case safe with Cam Norris?

According to a January 28 court filing obtained by Knox News, Joey Aguilar authorized Cam Norris to represent him in his eligibility case against the NCAA, separating his legal strategy from Diego Pavia’s group. Norris practices law at Consovoy McCarthy in Arlington, Virginia, but lives in Knoxville and is a Vanderbilt Law graduate.

Now, he is already well known for representing President Donald Trump in 2022. He represented the then-candidate before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case involving access to six years of tax returns. The Court declined Trump’s request without explanation and no justice dissented. The result didn’t go his way, but Cam Norris’ presence on that stage mattered. But Tennessee fans too know the name well. And of course, the NCAA will never forget him.

Closer to home, Cam Norris has been a recurring problem for the NCAA. In 2024, he successfully argued on behalf of the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office in the Vols’ case against the NCAA over NIL rules. U-T claimed those rules violated antitrust law. The NCAA eventually settled the case in January 2025. Now, with Joey Aguilar stepping away from the Pavia suit and Cam Norris involved, Tennessee can bet on one thing for sure. This isn’t over.