Vanderbilt finds themselves in a position to have their first winning season since James Franklin left the program in 2013. This comes in largely on the back of their star transfer QB Diego Pavia who made his way to Nashville after spending two seasons each at New Mexico Military Institute, and New Mexico State. Under current NCAA rules, this is his final year of eligibility but if Pavia and his legal team have any say he’ll be sticking around in Nashville for another two years.
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What does the Lawsuit cover?
Pavia has been in college for five seasons and under normal circumstances that should be the maximum amount of eligibility so what claims does he have to gain another two years of eligibility? According to the lawsuit, the current NCAA bylaws limiting JUCO players’ eligibility once they transfer to NCAA schools limits their ability to make money off of their name, image, and likeness. These rules unintentionally harm players who don’t receive D1 offers and as the lawsuit says “stifle the competition in the labor market for NCAA Division I football players, harming college athletes and degrading the quality of Division I football consumed by the public“.
The lawsuit continues to claim the bylaws violate the federal Sherman Act, and are an “illegal agreement to restrain and suppress competition”. Pavia is not the first big-name talent to attempt to petition for more eligibility, as Tua Tagovailoa’s brother Taulia Tagovailoa also unsuccessfully attempted to earn a sixth season in college football, but Pavia does seem to have the most interesting argument for extra time.
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Who is the QB behind the lawsuit?
Pavia is somewhat of a poster child for players who were good but never got their shot. After receiving zero FBS or FCS offers coming out of high school, Pavia attended New Mexico Military Institute, a two-year Junior College, where he led his team to an NJCAA championship before ultimately being offered a shot to play in the FBS at New Mexico State.
While at New Mexico State, Pavia led the Aggies to their first bowl appearance since 2017, winning Quick Lane Bowl MVP, and led the Aggies to their first victory over an SEC team defeating Auburn 31-10 in the 2023 regular season. After two very successful years at New Mexico State Pavia followed his head coach, leaving the state of New Mexico and joining the Vanderbilt Commodores where he ultimately won the starting QB job.
Since then, he has led the Commodores to an upset victory over at the time AP No. 1 Alabama, Vanderbilt’s first win over a top-five team in program history, and has the team hungry for a Bowl Game. Currently, there is no way to tell if this lawsuit can buy us more time with Pavia in College Football, but anyone who enjoys a competitive game wants to see him on the field.
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