This past season, Vanderbilt quarterback, Diego Pavia demolished perennial powerhouse Alabama and last season while at New Mexico State he defeated Auburn. His newest opponent appears to be the NCAA, and it seems he is in position to have a big victory. Athletes get five calendar years to play four seasons according to the NCAA. Junior college factors as a season of play. This policy is the heart of the case.
Pavia played two years of junior college and three years in Division I, therefore exhausting his eligibility. However, Pavia is challenging the NCAA’s policy that counts junior college participation towards a player’s eligibility.
On Wednesday, a Tennessee judge granted Pavia’s request for a temporary injunction against the NCAA. Judge William L. Campbell Jr., ruling allows Pavia, for now, eligibility to play next season.
The NCAA most definitely can appeal the decision, but by the time the trial ends it appears Pavia will have completed another football season this fall.
This ruling is a landmark decision that not only paves a path for junior college athletes to gain an additional year of eligibility but may invite future legal challenges over the “five years to play four rule” of the NCAA.
The NCAA did not provide clarity on how this ruling will impact other player’s in similar positions as Pavia. Coupled with the new changes with NIL, college football is quickly changing. The motive behind Pabia’s argument stems from money, as he stands to earn at least a million next season. As part of the House antitrust settlement, in July schools are permitted to directly share revenue with athletes. This shifts college sports from an amateurism model to a professional concept.
