Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar undergoes surgery to remove tumor from arm, per report

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar underwent surgery Friday to remove a benign tumor that was “pushing on his biceps tendon and labrum, causing weakness and pain” in his arm, according to NFL Network. Aguilar, who is expected to recover in eight weeks, kept the issue quiet during the season.

This news comes just three days after he started in Tennessee’s Music City Bowl loss to Illinois. Aguilar completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for 121 yards and had a rushing touchdown against the Fighting Illini.

Aguilar, who joined Tennessee as a transfer in April after the Vols lost incumbent starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, played in all 13 of Tennessee’s games this season. He currently ranks third in the SEC with 3,565 yards passing, which is also the third-most from a Tennessee quarterback all-time and the most since Tyler Bray threw for 3,612 yards in 2012.

Aguilar’s 274.2 yards passing per game also leads the SEC. He exceeded 300 yards passing in four games and had at least 250 yards through the air in over half of Tennessee’s 2025 contests.

Prior to moving to Knoxville, Aguilar spent a few months in UCLA after transferring in from Appalachian State, where he started 24 games over two seasons. He was named the 2023 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year after throwing for 3,757 yards and 33 touchdowns.

There is an outside shot that Aguilar gets an extra year of eligibility due to fellow quarterback and junior college product Diego Pavia’s ongoing lawsuit against the NCAA, but the likely next step for Aguilar is testing the NFL waters. The timetable for his recovery from surgery means that it isn’t a certainty he would be ready to compete in the NFL Combine — if he gets invited — or at Tennessee’s pro day.