Can Joey Aguilar break Peyton Manning records in Music City Bowl?

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NASHVILLE – Quarterback Joey Aguilar can eclipse Peyton Manning in the Tennessee football record book with a strong performance against Illinois in the Music City Bowl.

It would be quite a final performance for Aguilar – that is, if it’s his last UT game. A lawsuit in federal court filed by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia could give Aguilar an additional year of college eligibility, but time is running out on that Hail Mary.

But some UT fans, despite their appreciation for Aguilar, would rather see freshman George MacIntyre play in the Music City Bowl. They want him to get a shot at the 2026 starting job rather than a transfer.

No. 23 Tennessee (8-4) plays Illinois (8-4) on Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Nissan Stadium, and Aguilar will lead the Vols.

Here’s where Aguilar stands in the record book and his eligibility battle heading into the Music City Bowl.

How Joey Aguilar can break Peyton Manning records

Aguilar ranks fourth on UT’s single-season list for passing yards (3,444) and sixth in total offense (3,548).

Manning holds both UT records. In 1997, he had 3,789 yards of total offense and 3,819 passing yards. Aguilar needs 242 yards of total offense and 376 passing yards to break those records.

Here is UT’s single-season leaders in passing yards:

Peyton Manning: 3,819 yards (1997)
Tyler Bray: 3,612 yards (2012)
Erik Ainge: 3,522 yards (2007)
Joey Aguilar: 3,444 yards (2025)

This is Aguilar’s 13th game this season. Manning set the UT record in 12 games during his Heisman Trophy runner-up season.

The NCAA didn’t start counting bowl stats toward cumulative season stats until 2002, and it does not retroactively count bowl stats prior to that. That means Manning's records in the 1997 season included 11 regular-season games and the SEC Championship game. His final 134-yard outing didn’t count from a loss to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

Bray played 12 games in 2012 because UT didn’t make a bowl game. Ainge played 14 games in 2007, including the SEC title game and the Outback Bowl.

Here is UT’s single-season leaders in total offense:

Peyton Manning: 3,789 yards (1997)
Joshua Dobbs: 3,777 (2016)
Tyler Bray: 3,578 (2012)
Hendon Hooker: 3,565 (2022)
Hendon Hooker: 3,561 (2021)
Joey Aguilar: 3,548 (2025)

Will George MacIntyre replace Aguilar in Music City Bowl?

Backup Jake Merklinger opted out the bowl and announced his plans to enter the transfer portal. MacIntyre, a former four-star recruit, will serve as Aguilar’s backup against Illinois.

Some UT fans want to turn the page to the future and give MacIntyre a large portion of the snaps. But coach Josh Heupel’s top priority is winning the game, and Aguilar gives the Vols the best chance.

Aguilar led the SEC in passing yards during the regular season, guiding the highest scoring offense (40.8 ppg) in the SEC. MacIntyre has attempted only nine passes and played sparingly in two games.

There’s precedent for UT starting a freshman quarterback over a veteran. In 2023, Nico Iamaleava made his first career start in the Citrus Bowl while Joe Milton turned his attention to the NFL draft.

But there’s a distinct difference. There was almost no gap between Milton and Iamaleava, and some thought the freshman should’ve started earlier in the 2023 season. However, the perceived gap between Aguilar and MacIntyre is much wider.

Can Joey Aguilar return to Tennessee in 2026 with court victory?

Aguilar joined Pavia’s lawsuit against the NCAA’s junior college rule, hoping to gain an extra year of eligibility and return to the Vols in 2026.

Aguilar needs the court to issue a preliminary injunction halting the NCAA eligibility rules or the NCAA to grant a blanket waiver for an additional year of eligibility to former junior college players while the case remains undecided.

But time is running out. The transfer portal opens Jan. 2. If Aguilar isn’t awarded an extra year of eligibility by then, UT must consider adding a transfer quarterback.

The case is being considered by a federal judge in Nashville. Pavia intends to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, but his attorneys are still working on behalf of other former junior college players.

On Dec. 26, they argued that the NCAA is hypocritical by granting eligibility to Baylor basketball player James Nnaji, who was selected in the 2023 NBA Draft and played professionally in Europe, while denying junior college players an extension to their careers.

The suit challenges the rule which counts junior college seasons as part of a student-athletes’ NCAA eligibility.

The NCAA allows players to compete for four seasons within five years, and junior college seasons count toward that total and time period. Pavia’s suit seeks to change the eligibility rules, where junior college competition wouldn’t factor into seasons of eligibility or an athlete’s eligibility clock.

Only seasons at an NCAA institution would count as part of NCAA eligibility.

If successful, that would mean one more season for the 24-year-old Aguilar. And it would greatly impact UT’s quarterback plans for the 2026 season. Aguilar has already spent seven years in college football, but only three seasons at NCAA member schools (two at Appalachian State, one at Tennessee).

Pavia’s efforts already earned an extra season of eligibility for Aguilar, which allowed him to play for Tennessee in the 2025 season.

In December 2024, Pavia challenged the NCAA’s eligibility rules and won a preliminary injunction that forced the NCAA to grant a blanket waiver awarding an extra year of eligibility to college players who started their career in junior college.

Now, Aguilar needs another waiver – and very soon – to play for the Vols next season.

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: Is Joey Aguilar playing for Tennessee in Music City Bowl today?

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