Big Orange Report February 12, 2026

 

Joey Football

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar is battling the NCAA for one more year of eligibility. After withdrawing from one lawsuit, Aguilar's attorney immediately filed an individual suit in Chancery Court in Knoxville. The judge then granted Aguilar a temporary restraining order until a full hearing could be conducted in the matter within 15 days. Aguilar's main claim in the legal brief is that his two years of junior college football should not be counted against his chances for an additional season in Division One football. In previous cases filed by other players, the courts have found in favor of plaintiff and against the NCAA. The next hearing should be held within the next 7 to 10 days.

Aguilar led the Southeastern Conference in passing yardage in 2025 when he threw for 3565 yards. He also tossed 24 touchdown passes. His total yardage placed him in the record book at No.  3 on Tennessee's all-time, single season yards through the air.  

SoftVols Roll

The Tennessee softball squad motored through the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Florida, going 5-0 while outscoring the opponents 33-2. The victory laps included a 2-0 verdict over the nation's No. 5 ranked team, Oregon, in the final contest for the Vols on Saturday evening. UT employed four different pitchers in the event, anchored by pre-season All American, Karlyn Pickens. The senior right hander tossed two complete games including the victory over Oregon. She yielded only seven hits total in the two wins, was touched for only one unearned run and struck out 22 batters. Sophomore pitcher Erin Nuwer opened the tourney by tossing a no hitter against BYU and then picked up a save in relief in the win over Boston College. Nuwer was recruited from the state of New York where she was a high school All American selection.

The Number 4 ranked Lady Vols will travel to the Sunshine State again the weekend for the Shiners' Children's Classic in Clearwater. The first game should be a doozy when Pickens squares off against another All American, Jordy (Bahl) Frahm, the senior at Nebraska. Jordy was once the ace of an Oklahoma staff that won the College World Series title in Oklahoma City. This game is set to air at 10 a.m. Friday on ESPN 2. Tennessee will face another legendary program on Saturday when the Vols battle UCLA at 3 p.m. on ESPNU. On Sunday at 7 p.m. , UT faces one more national power, Florida State, in the feature game on ESPN.  

Forgettable Weekend for Hoops

The Tennessee basketball squads suffered through two losses over the weekend. The performances were not what Vol fans have come to expect from the teams. Coach Rick Barnes' men had an "instant replay" of what happened when Kentucky visited Knoxville earlier this season. The Vols blew another double-digit lead and got whipped in the final minutes at Rupp Arena. Barnes' teams have always depended on a rugged defense but in this game, UT was only able to force nine turnovers in the loss. The Wildcats won the two contests by a total of five points.

The only bright spot for the Vols was the play of talented freshman Nate Ament. The athletic first year man poured in 29 points, connecting on 10 of 17 field goals including four of six from behind the arc. Ament has now averaged over 25 points per game in the last five games.

The Volunteers will attempt to reverse course this week when they travel to Starkville for a battle with Mississippi State. ESPN2 will televise this one at 8 p.m. On Saturday LSU will visit East Tennessee with the tipoff slated for 5 p.m. on the SEC network.

The Lady Vols suffered even a bigger embarrassment by getting blown out at South Carolina after being tied with the Gamecocks for first in the conference standings. It was the most lop-sided margin of loss in the history of the program. South Carolina posted an incredible field goal percentage of 69.2 and out rebounded Tennessee by 14. The Lady Vols were a woeful 10 of 44 on three point attempts and the defense in the paint was practically non-existent.

Kellie Harper and her Missouri team will be in town on Thursday before the Texas Longhorns show up on Sunday for another nationally televised game on ABC. 

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