• Loading stock data...
Thursday, July 10, 2025

Diego Pavia Can Play Next Year After Ruling That Could Shake NCAA

The injunction giving Pavia additional NCAA eligibility could have major ramifications for college athletes.

The Montgomery Advertiser

On Wednesday, a federal judge granted an injunction giving Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia the extra year of eligibility he had sought. The quarterback will almost certainly be able to play college football in 2025, and the ruling could have major implications for all of college sports.

The ruling, issued in a 25-page decision by federal judge William Campbell on Wednesday night, is still just preliminary. But Campbell wrote Pavia’s claims that the NCAA’s eligibility rules violate antitrust law have a “strong likelihood of success” at a full trial.

The injunction also prohibits the NCAA from punishing Pavia, Vanderbilt, or any other school he plays for next year if the ruling is ultimately overturned at trial. It appears Pavia plans to play for the Commodores again, as he dropped his catchphrase “VANDY WE TURNT” on social media Wednesday night, with an expletive and emoji thrown in for good measure. (His lawyer told the Associated Press he’d return to Vanderbilt “so long as he receives an appropriate NIL package.”)

NCAA athletes are allowed to play four seasons in five years, and time spent playing sports at junior colleges—which are not NCAA institutions—counts against those four seasons. Pavia played two years at New Mexico Military Institute in 2020 and 2021, and he filed the lawsuit after spending two remarkable years in the NCAA at New Mexico State and Vanderbilt.

He argued the NCAA’s rules counting years playing in junior college against Division I eligibility violated antitrust law because they prohibited him from maximizing NIL (name, image, and likeness) earnings. In his suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, he speculated he would earn up to $1 million if the NCAA didn’t block him from playing next year at Vanderbilt. 

Campbell agreed the restrictions blocking Pavia from playing another year in the NCAA were likely illegal.

“This does not mean that the NCAA cannot impose eligibility rules, only that those rules will be subject to further scrutiny to determine whether they are an undue restraint on trade,” he wrote.

Pavia’s lawyers celebrated the win in a statement and said it could permanently change how the NCAA treats junior college athletes.

“The NCAA has not yet adjusted to the NIL era and continues to impose unfair restrictions on college athletes,” Pavia’s attorney, Ryan Downton, said in a statement. “The Court’s ruling is another step in leveling the playing field to allow college athletes to share in the billions of dollars earned due to their labor. While the ruling is limited to Pavia, we believe it may open the door for other former junior college players to obtain an additional year of eligibility without filing a lawsuit.”

As Downton said, the injunction covers just Pavia, and stands only until the case is resolved. But other athletes may now file similar lawsuits and enjoy the precedent Pavia has set. Campbell’s ruling pointed out that, for example, the NCAA treated junior colleges and postgraduate prep schools—where some players spend a year between high school and college—differently. The NCAA eligibility clock does not start for those athletes, nor athletes who go on, for example, religious missions.

“Given the different treatment of other student-athletes with comparable or more post-secondary experience, the NCAA’s assertion that the eligibility rules are necessary to prevent age and experience disparities and preserve the quality of experience for student-athletes falls flat,” the judge wrote.

Downton said he did not seek to have all NCAA eligibility limits struck down. “But a junior college season shouldn’t be the equivalent of an NCAA season when the junior college season has no meaningful opportunities to earn NIL, no television exposure,” he told ESPN.

It’s yet another case of a judge finding that NCAA rules violate or likely violate antitrust law. 

It’s the third temporary ruling of its kind striking down one of the NCAA’s restrictions in the past year alone, none of which have since been reversed. Due to two lawsuits brought by state attorneys general over the past year, the governing body lost the ability to restrict transfers and—also temporarily through a preliminary injunction—the ability to enforce NIL restrictions. The rulings have created a market of unrestricted free agency

The NCAA called the ruling “disappointing” in a statement. “Altering the enforcement of rules overwhelmingly supported by NCAA member schools makes a shifting environment even more unsettled,” the governing body wrote, adding its usual comment that it has asked Congress to step in and pass legislation that would override all these court decisions. It did not immediately say whether other former junior college athletes would have additional eligibility. The football transfer portal is open until Dec. 28, a deadline Pavia sought to have his case addressed by.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Deion Sanders Rips ‘Bulljunk’ in CFB, Calls for NFL-Style Salary Cap

Coach Prime is frustrated with the new revenue-sharing era.
Jul 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Amanda Anisimova of the United States celebrates winning her match against Aryna Sabalenka on day 11 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Amanda Anisimova Stuns Sabalenka to Reach Wimbledon Final, Clinches $2M

The American’s Wimbledon run will continue with her first major final.
Apr 4, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard KK Arnold (2)1 dribbles against UCLA Bruins forward Angela Dugalic (32) during the third quarter in a semifinal of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena.

‘Kind of a Joke’: Frustrations Mount As New NIL Deal Approval Process..

Delays have already led to athletes losing NIL opportunities.
Jun 19, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Botafogo owner John Textor before the match during a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Rose Bowl Stadium.

Crystal Palace’s Europa League Spot in Limbo After Lyon Wins Appeal

The ruling on Olympique Lyonnais was overturned this week on appeal.

Featured Today

Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Head coaches Willie Fritz of Houston, Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State, Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia, Lance Leipold of Kansas, Sonny Dykes of TCU, Kyle Whittingham of Utah, Brent Brennan of Arizona and Deion Sanders of Colorado all sit on stage for a Coaches Roundtable during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star.

Big 12 Commish: Conference Is ‘All In’ on International Expansion

The conference had once planned a large initiative in Mexico.
July 9, 2025

Big Ten, Big 12 Commissioners Remain Far Apart on CFP’s Future

A decision on expansion must be made by December.
Sebastian Rivera (R) tf. Danny Coles 6:47 (20-3). Rutgers University Wrestling vs Princeton in Piscataway, NJ on February 18, 2022.
July 9, 2025

The House Settlement Is Being Appealed. It Won’t Stop Revenue-Sharing—for Now

The settlement’s approval on June 6 triggered an appeals process.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
TSU Hockey at Bridgestone
July 8, 2025

Tennessee State’s HBCU Hockey Ambitions Delayed at Least a Year

The school will not launch the first-of-its-kind program as intended.
Louis, Missouri, UNITED STATES; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Nicholas DeGraves (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Boston University Terriers during the third period of the Frozen Four college ice hockey national semifinals at Enterprise Center
July 7, 2025

Gavin McKenna’s Penn State Commitment Cements College Hockey Supremacy

Gavin McKenna’s Penn State decision signals hockey’s rising stars now prefer college.
A helmt is seen during the Texas Tech football team's spring game, Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium.
July 7, 2025

CFB’s Revenue-Sharing Era Muddles Future of NIL, Adds PE Questions

Athletic departments can pay college athletes a combined $20.5 million this year.
Nov 30, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders running back Tahj Brooks (28) runs the ball against West Virginia Mountaineers defensive back Anthony Wilson Jr. (12) in the second half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field.
July 7, 2025

Felix Ojo’s Agent Says Texas Tech Offered $5.1M At Start of Rev-Share..

Texas Tech secured Ojo with a seven-figure NIL commitment.