Tennessee's Joey Aguilar Reportedly Has Surgery to Remove Tumor Near Biceps Tendon

After playing in the Music City Bowl on Wednesday, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar underwent surgery to remove a tumor.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Aguilar had surgery on Friday to remove a benign tumor that was pushing on his biceps tendon and was causing pain and weakness in that area.

Rapoport added Aguilar is expected to be fully recovered in eight weeks.

It's unclear how long the tumor had been affecting Aguilar, but Rapoport noted he "kept the situation quiet" before having surgery.

Aguilar started all 13 games for Tennessee this season, including the Music City Bowl against Illinois. He threw for 3,565 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Even though the Vols lost to Illinois, Aguilar played well. He finished 14-of-18 for 121 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in the first quarter.

The 24-year-old Aguilar has worked his way up to being a high-level starter in the SEC. He began his college career at City College of San Francisco in 2019, where he redshirted as a freshman.

Aguilar spent two years at Diablo Valley College from 2021 to '22, then transferred to Appalachian State. He was a two-year starter for the Mountaineers before transferring in December 2024.

There was a game of quarterback musical chairs because Aguilar originally committed to UCLA, but when Nico Iamaleava left Tennessee to join the Bruins, Aguilar decided to take Iamaleava's spot with the Vols.

Tennessee finished this season 8-5, but the offense was a bright spot finishing sixth in FBS in points and eighth in yards per game.

Aguilar is among a group of former junior college players who have requested an extra year of eligibility in a court filing seeking to extend the injunction from December 2024 that allowed Diego Pavia to play for Vanderbilt this season.

If the request is granted, Aguilar would be eligible to play college football in 2026.