Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Knox County Chancery Court, seeking an additional season of Division I eligibility, according to Adam Sparks of the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Aguilar transferred to the Tennessee ahead of the 2025 season and argues that the NCAA is improperly counting his junior college seasons toward his Division I eligibility limit.
“After a breakout season as the Volunteers’ quarterback in 2025, the NCAA is blocking Aguilar from playing a fourth year of Division I football — depriving Tennessee of a gifted quarterback and robbing Aguilar of millions in compensation,” the complaint states.
Aguilar played his fifth season of college football in 2025, but his first two seasons came at Diablo Valley Community College in California. Thus he's shooting for a sixth year, if the suit is won. His attorney is Knoxville-based lawyer Cam Norris, who previously represented Donald Trump before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.
Tennessee ended the 2025 season with an 8-5 record. Aguilar threw for 3,565 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while adding four rushing scores. Prior to Tennessee, Aguilar appeared in 25 games at Appalachian State, totaling 6,760 passing yards, 56 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
The Vols open the 2026 season on Sept. 5 vs. Furman.
Deion Sanders became one of the highest-paid coaches in college football this offseason. The five-year, $54 million deal came off a 9-4 season in 2024, including a brutal loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl.
Colorado started the 2025 season with a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech. Coach Prime's team bounced back with a 31-7 win over first-year FBS contender Delaware, before struggling in the Big 12 opener with Houston, along with losses against BYU, TCU, and a 46-point loss at Utah. The Buffaloes ended the season at 3-9, which is the worst mark in Sanders' tenure.
Given the turbulent play to end the season, including all three quarterbacks being in rotation, here's the details of Sanders' contract, including a formal buyout agreement that decreases each year he stays in Boulder.
Deion Sanders buyout terms
According to Sportico, Sanders would owe Colorado $10 million in "liquidated damages" if he terminates his new contract on or before Dec. 31, 2026. Every year, Coach Prime's buyout figure drops.
$6 million before Dec. 31, 2027
$4 million before Dec. 31, 2028
$3 million before Dec. 31, 2029
Sanders' old contract buyout was set at $8 million, if he left Colorado before the conclusion of 2025. The buyout would only come into play if Sanders accepts "alternate employment as a coach at the collegiate or at the non-amateur level." The new contract also allows a potential new employer to pay the buyout on behalf of Sanders. This works both ways for college football coaches' contracts and helps the school mitigate losses in case of sudden departure.
However, if Colorado fired Sanders without cause he would be owed $26.6 million before December 31, 2026, according to USA TODAY Sports.
Deion Sanders bonuses
Coach Prime's original contract at Colorado includes a wealth of monetary incentives for potential team achievements. He would receive a $450,000 bonus if Colorado is invited to a New Year’s six bowl game, and $750,000 if the Buffs somehow won a national championship.
$150,000: Colorado wins six games in a season and reaches bowl eligibility $100,000: Each additional win beyond the first six $150,000: Colorado wins the Big 12 $75,000: Colorado plays in a Big 12 Championship game $150,000: Sanders is named National Coach of the Year $75,000: Sanders is named Big 12 Coach of the Year $50,000: Colorado attains a team APR of at least 965
Here was Colorado athletic director Rick George's statement when Sanders inked his new deal.
"Coach Prime has revolutionized college football and in doing so, has restored CU football to our rightful place as a national power," George said. "This extension not only recognizes Coach's incredible accomplishments transforming our program on and off the field, it keeps him in Boulder to compete for conference and national championships in the years to come."
Sanders said he was "excited for the opportunity to continue building something special" and added "It's not just about football; it's about developing young men who are ready to take on the world."
The end of the 2025 college football season concluded year three for eight power four college football coaches. Kenny Dillingham-Arizona State, Hugh Freeze-Auburn, Scott Satterfield-Cincinnati, Deion Sanders-Colorado, Brent Key-Georgia Tech, Jeff Brohm-Louisville, Matt Rhule-Nebraska and Luke Fickell-Wisconsin.
CBS Sports compiled grades for those eight coaches. Within their grades, these coaches can be placed on three tiers. Doing a good job, on the hot seat, and fired.
All eight coaches have varying degrees of notoriety, hype and expectation. Based on those factors vs the on-field results play into the letter grades. However, the grades and order might be less than predictable.
Third year coaching grades: Doing a Good Job
No. 1 Kenny Dillingham – Grade A
Coach Dillingham is the only coach on this list of third year coaches with hardware. In 2024, Dillingham’s Sun Devils secured a Big 12 conference championship. Despite an early 3-9 start to his ASU coaching tenure, Dillingham has been an unconditional success at his alma mater.
Since joining the Big 12, Arizona State has 13-5 record vs conference opponents. In addition to the Big 12 championship, Dillingham led the Sun Devils to a college football playoff berth and a top 10 finish in 2024.
Dillingham has a signature win against a top 10 ranked Texas Tech team, as well as a 6-2 record against ranked opponents in the last two seasons.
No. 2 Brent Key – Grade: A
Key at Georgia Tech is another example of a former player at the helm. A former Yellow Jackets offensive lineman has done an admirable job bringing Georgia Tech back into the national conversation.
The Yellow Jackets under Key have been bowl eligible each year under his watch and the win total peaked in 2025 reaching nine. Falling just short of making the college football playoff.
In three short seasons, Key has made Georgia Tech a contender in the ACC. Key has a 20-11 record against conference opponents. He also has signature wins against Miami and Clemson. The only ACC teams to make a national championship game in the playoff era.
No. 3 Jeff Brohm – Grade: A
The final “A” goes to Louisville coach Brohm. Brohm saw success in Louisville immediately. The Cardinals in 2023 were in the ACC Championship game and finished that season with a top 20 ranking.
The former Louisville quarterback took the head coaching job in 2023 and has quickly compiled double nine-win seasons (2024, 2025). Brohm has 28 wins in three seasons. Giving him the best winning percentage on this list.
Brohm’s record against conference opponents has been inconsistent, due in some part to a late season losing streak in 2025. Regardless of where the wins come from, Brohm earns a spot on the top tier with the best win total of the group.
Third year coaching grades: On the hot seat
No. 4 Deion Sanders – Grade: C+
Objectively, this feels a little high. More than any other coach on this list, Sanders capitalized on hype. With his Louis Luggage following him to Boulder, 2023 had some high points but was an objectively unsuccessful season.
After beating TCU after their title game appearance in 2022, Sanders’ Buffs would jump out to a 3-0 record. Overnight Colorado became must see tv. In week four they were beat convincingly by Oregon and lost a close game to USC shortly thereafter.
In 2024 Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders led a pass happy offense to a 9-3 regular season record. They also played in the Alamo Bowl. Colorado was in the Big 12 title game hunt until week 11.
Despite trending in the right direction in 2024, the Buffaloes had their worst season under Sanders in 2025. Sanders faced significant medical concerns during the offseason and recruiting calendar of 2025. Since then, Sanders has promised changes and overhauled the roster again. Sanders is the highest ranked coach on this list with a losing record.
No. 5 Matt Rhule – Grade: C
Rhule at five when Sanders is at four is slightly confusing. However, that could be a comparison of where those respective programs are compared to where they used to be. While Sanders has returned excitement to Colorado, Rhule has yet to meet expectations.
A program once viewed as a national contender is coming off two bowl eligible seasons and the first postseason win in almost a decade. Bowl eligible just simply is not the expectation.
Rhule has the Cornhuskers as better than they were, but 10-17 record vs conference opponents is far ‘doing a good job’. In three seasons, Rhule does not possess a quality win over an AP top 25 ranked opponent.
No 6 Scott Satterfield – Grade: C-
Technically, the Cincinnati Bearcats are trending in the right direction under Satterfield, just not as quickly as fans might have hoped. In 2023, Satterfield and the Bearcats were a 3-9 football team, with a 1-8 conference record.
In 2024 they improved to 5-7 (3-6 in conference), before finishing 7-6 (5-4 in conference) in 2025. In 2025, they finished in the top half of division 1 for the first time under Satterfield.
In 2025, Cincinnati was very active in the transfer portal. Bringing in 20 new players, mostly 3-stars from varying levels, while losing 19. The biggest loss being 5-star quarterback Brendan Sorsby to Texas Tech.
No. 7 Luke Fickell – Grade: C-
Fickell had become a big name after some success with Cincinnati. When Fickell was hired at Wisconsin, it was celebrated by college football viewers. The results have simply been less than expected.
Fickell’s Badgers made a bowl game in 2023 and the on-field production has regressed since. Fickell’s 17-21 record has led to considerable speculation on his future with the program.
Surprisingly, Fickell survived the 2025 hot seat. A name that was on many short lists of coaches who could be fired in 2025. Joe Thomas, one of the greatest Badgers of all time, said firing Fickell is not the answer, in a radio interview late last year.
Fickell will likely begin the 2026 season where he spent the 2025 season. On the hot seat.
Third year coaching grades: Fired
No. 8 Hugh Freeze – Grade: F
In three years, Coach Freeze led the Auburn Tigers to one bowl game, coming off a 6-7 record. That season, Auburn did not finish in the top half of division 1 (71st of 133).
2024 and 2025 resulted in double 5-7 records. The conference record paints an even more scathing picture. Auburn, once believed to be a college football power and a leading SEC team has only three conference wins in the last two seasons.
A 6-16 record against SEC teams overall in three years falls decidedly below expectations.
Before the end of the 2025 season, Auburn decided to part ways with Hugh Freeze. Alex Golesh from South Florida took over in December. Since then, the Tigers have flipped more than 39 of the players on the 2025 roster.
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