Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar recently underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from his arm. Reports indicate that this tumor has been pressing against his biceps tendon and labrum, leading to some weakness and pain in that area.
Officials from Tennessee haven’t yet responded to inquiries for confirmation regarding the surgery.
In his first complete season with the Volunteers, Aguilar achieved a career-high completion rate of 67.3%, throwing for a total of 3,565 yards and 24 touchdowns. He notably led the Southeastern Conference with an average of 274.2 passing yards per game.
Aguilar has had quite a transition to Tennessee, having navigated a bit of quarterback drama at his previous schools. Before joining the Volunteers, he spent two years at Appalachian State University and then transferred to UCLA. However, he was compelled to leave Tennessee when Nico Iamareaba made the same move to the Bruins.
In a related note, the departure of Iamareaba created quite a stir in college football, as he became the first player to leave the program in pursuit of a lucrative contract—reportedly worth up to $10 million across several seasons, with $2.4 million slated for last season.
Throughout his career, Aguilar has accumulated 10,325 passing yards and 80 touchdowns over 38 games. Despite the positives, Tennessee finished the regular season with an 8-4 record but faced a loss against Illinois in the Music City Bowl.
Furthermore, prior to his time at Appalachian State, Aguilar played two years of junior college football, which left some uncertainty around his NCAA eligibility. Currently, he is involved in a lawsuit against the NCAA.
