In the modern era of college football, it often feels like the NCAA has lost the plot.
Many of the recent changes in sports, such as the transfer portal, NIL and revenue sharing, are the latest long-overdue updates that have helped put the power back into the hands of the players.
However, the NCAA has refused to enforce or take a position on issues arising from these changes (e.g. tampering, exceeding roster salary caps, etc.), arguing that it is the government’s job to set these guardrails.
Thankfully, the NCAA hasn’t completely abandoned what really matters in college football: the first word in the sport’s name.
The NCAA scored a major victory in court last week when it ruled that Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar will not receive another year of eligibility.
Fortunately, logic prevailed and Aguilar, who turns 25 this summer, will not be entering his eighth season of college football.
His argument for an extension for another year follows the example of Diego Fabia being extended last season, giving him another year of eligibility. Pavia joined Aguilar and other college football players in the lawsuit, arguing that years played in junior college should not count toward Division I eligibility.
There are many reasons why this argument is not valid, but perhaps the biggest one is… the second word: junior college.
The restraining order that allowed Pavia to play last season was a net positive due to what he brought to the 2025 season as a Heisman finalist who led Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season in program history.
It also set a dangerous precedent that led Aguilar to think he could likewise extend it for another year.
In theory, it’s okay to get an extra year of eligibility every now and then. When granted, they are essentially always associated with players who have missed extensive time due to injuries throughout their careers and have lower pro prospects due to injury history and age.
That doesn’t match Aguilar’s path. He redshirted at City College of San Francisco in 2019 before the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He then transferred to another JUCO program, Diablo Valley, where he appeared in 16 games during the 2021-22 season.
He then transferred to App State and moved up to the FBS level, where he started 25 games over two seasons, missing minimal time.
The Pavia ban makes Aguilar eligible for the 2025 season and landed at Tennessee after transferring to UCLA, which was originally a bonus year.
It was a very successful season. He started all 14 games and finished with 3,565 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. He led the Southeastern Conference in passing yards during the regular season.
But again, it was a full season competition. It was Aguilar’s fourth time playing at least 10 games at the college level and his fifth with at least six games. It’s a full career and then some.
So it’s a good thing the NCAA took its case in court, and even more fortunate that a Tennessee judge sided with the NCAA against local athletes.
Please don’t distort my point. Athlete empowerment is good for college sports.
But with that power comes responsibility. Among them is the responsibility of realizing when it is time to move on to the next step in football and/or life.
