Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar will sign an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to multiple reports, after not being selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Aguilar is an overachiever who went from a junior college walk-on to Appalachian State to Tennessee over six years (five seasons). He will be 25 years old in the 2026 season. And he quietely played through a painful benign tumor on his throwing arm, which limited his pre-draft workouts.
Putting his inspirational story aside, he led the SEC in passing yards during his lone regular season with the Vols. And that performance came after he joined the team in the summer and quickly learned the playbook.
Here’s what Aguilar brings to the Jaguars based on his career with the Vols.
Aguilar is an even-keeled confident quarterback who’s been doubted throughout his career, but he’s succeeded at each level. His age, maturity and experience in numerous offenses could be useful as a QB3 in the NFL.
In junior college, Aguilar walked on and beat out an experienced starter for the QB1 job. At Appalachian State, he again went from backup to exceptional starter. And at Tennessee, he won a preseason competition and had one of the most productive passing seasons in program history.
Aguilar has great touch on deep passes. He hangs in the pocket to deliver under pressure. And he utilizes the entire field in the passing game.
But Aguilar’s accuracy sometimes slipped. And his aggressiveness over the middle led to too many interceptions.
Aguilar, a 6-foot-3, 229-pounder, is tough in the pocket but he’s not an elusive runner. He has a quick release and good touch on deep passes, but his sky-ball style of vertical throws may allow NFL safeties to adjust.
Aguilar produced against good competition. He passed for 371 yards and four TDs against Georgia. He passed for 396 yards and three TDs against Kentucky. And he passed for 393 yards and three TDs against Oklahoma.
Aguilar passed for 13,317 yards and 101 touchdowns in five college seasons, including Diablo Valley Community College (2021-22), Appalachian State (2023-24) and Tennessee (2025).
What matters most is how he performed at the FBS level. In 2023, he passed for 3,757 yards, 33 TDs and 10 interceptions at Appalachian State. And in 2024, he passed for 3,003 yards, 24 TDs and 14 interceptions.
At Tennessee, Aguilar led the SEC in passing yards during the regular season. He finished with 3,565 yards, 24 TDs and 10 interceptions.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joey Aguilar signs with Jacksonville Jaguars as UDFA, per reports