Updating Tennessee QB search: Beau Pribula, Sam Leavitt, Joey Aguilar

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Tennessee football's quarterback search appears to be in the fourth quarter, but the result is unknown.

The Vols have been linked to Arizona State's Sam Leavitt, Alabama's Ty Simpson, Missouri's Beau Pribula and Joey Aguilar, their 2025 starter who's fighting the NCAA in federal court to regain an extra season of eligibility.

Numerous options are still on the table, albeit at varying degrees of probability. Here's the latest with developments on Jan. 12.

Sam Leavitt commits to LSU, but Tennessee still in play

Leavitt visited Tennessee, LSU and Kentucky as the No. 1 ranked player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. On Jan. 12, Leavitt committed to LSU and coach Lane Kiffin, according to numerous reports.

But CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported that Tennessee is still trying to flip Leavitt before he signs a contract with LSU.

Knox News confirmed that Tennessee is still trying to make one last run at Leavitt. But it appears that Leavitt is solidly committed to LSU albeit not signed yet.

Leavitt has completed 61% of his passes for 4,652 yards, 36 TDs and 11 interceptions in his career. And he has rushed for 816 yards and 10 TDs. He is a proven passer and winner who started his career at Michigan State and played the last two seasons at Arizona State.

Beau Pribula becomes frontrunner to be Tennessee quarterback

Tennessee hosted Pribula on a visit. And he appears to be the favorite for the Vols after Leavitt committed to LSU.

In some ways, Pribula fits the mold of other quarterbacks who've had success under coach Josh Heupel.

Pribula was under-recruited. The 6-foot-2, 212-pounder was a three-star recruit coming out of high school in York, Pennsylvania. And he is an accurate passer who has mobility as a runner.

Pribula completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,941 yards, 11 TDs and nine interceptions in 10 games for the Tigers in 2025. He rushed for 297 yards and six TDs, and he missed two games with a dislocated ankle injury.

Missouri had a 6-1 record with Pribula as the starter — losing only to Alabama, 27-24 — when he suffered the injury against Vanderbilt. His mobility was limited when he returned later in the season.

Pribula is searching for his third school, and 2026 will be his final season of eligibility. He spent two seasons at Penn State and then started for Missouri in 2025.

Dylan Raiola's Oregon commitment narrowed Tennessee competition

Tennessee never aggressively recruited Dylan Raiola, but his commitment to Oregon on Jan. 12 had a domino effect on the Vols' quarterback search.

Raiola announced he will transfer from Nebraska to Oregon. That left only three of the top 25 quarterbacks in the transfer portal without a new team, according to 247Sports rankings: Leavitt, Pribuna and Southern Cal's Husan Longstreet.

Tennessee hosted Leavitt and Pribula. The Vols have shown no interest in Longstreet, and for good reason. Longstreet was a five-star recruit in the 2025 class. UT needs a veteran quarterback to go with their George MacIntyre, who will be a redshirt freshman in the 2026 season, and Faizon Brandon, a five-star recruit enrolling in January.

Joey Aguilar trying for a Hail Mary in court to return in 2026

Aguilar has a glimmer of hope to return in the 2026 season. But that possibility is fading fast.

Aguilar hopes for an NCAA waiver to grant him an additional season of eligibility. A federal judge has scheduled a Jan. 12 conference call with NCAA attorneys and lawyers representing Aguilar and other players, according to court records obtained by Knox News.

The reason for the meeting is unknown, but it's part of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s federal lawsuit against the NCAA that challenges the association's eligibility rules involving former junior college players. Aguilar is among the plaintiffs hoping for the court to ultimately strike down those NCAA rules.

There's no indication that the meeting will lead to a quick resolution for Aguilar.

Tennessee offered Ty Simpson $4 million to choose Vols over NFL

Simpson may be headed to the NFL, but it's not because he didn't have suitors in college football.

Simpson, who started for Alabama during the 2025 season, declared for the 2026 NFL Draft on Jan. 7.

A source close to Simpson told The Tuscaloosa News on Jan. 11 that Miami offered him $6.5 million to play for the Hurricanes in 2026. That would have made him the highest-paid player in college football.

Tennessee and Ole Miss each offered Simpson $4 million, the newspaper reported through the same source.

Simpson is a Tennessee native from Martin, where he won a TSSAA state championship his senior season at Westview in West Tennessee.

Simpson's base salary at Alabama was $400,000, the newspaper reported. That doubled to $800,000 with incentives.

Tuscaloosa News' Colin Gay and Tennessean's Tom Kreager contributed to this report. 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 atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football quarterback search: Beau Pribula, Sam Leavitt, Joey Aguilar

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