News in the SEC: Diego Pavia Sues the NCAA

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Diego Pavia has played what seems to be a promising season for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Pavia led the Commodores to a 34-27 season opener upset against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Aug. 31.

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Like many teams, Pavia and the Commodores have faced many challenges. After defeating the Hokies, they claimed a 55-0 shutout over Alcorn State on Sept. 7, followed by a two-game losing streak.

However, to stay in the mix, they did the unimaginable by taking down No.1 (at the time) Alabama in NashVegas. Since that win, fans and critics alike began to see a different side of Commodore football. Including the win over Alabama, they went on a three-game winning streak, claiming victories over Kentucky and Ball State.

On Oct.26, they lost to the Texas Longhorns, but the win did not come easy for the Longhorns, as Pavia led the game in a shootout, challenging the Longhorns down to the last second.

To regain their momentum, they claimed a 17-7 win over the Auburn Tigers on Nov. 2. Currently, the Commodores have a 6-3 record. Although they are not in the running for the 12-team format, they still look to be a formidable opponent for those they will face in the final games of the 2024-25 season.

Pavia transferred from New Mexico State, bringing a lot of hope and restoration to the Commodores. He has claimed wins over top 25 ranked opponents while the Commodores were unranked, snapped a 40-year losing streak against Alabama, and etched his name into the Heisman candidacy, as there has never been a Heisman winner in Commodore history, and the last to be in the running was in 1988.

As the 2024-25 season is coming to an end, Pavia feels his college play should not end with this season, so he filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Friday. He is seeking a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, which is preventing him from playing the 2025-26 season based on his attendance at junior college.

Kate Arcieri, a senior reporter for Bloomberg Law, reports that the NCAA's junior college eligibly rules are being challenged as anticompetitive. According to Pavia, the NCAA's bylaws disadvantage junior college athletes by limiting the number of years they can participate in Division I NCAA football after transferring to a D-I institution. He also argues that these rules hinder athletes' opportunities to profit from their name, image, and likeness.

Pavia added to his argument by including the "five-year rule," which allows athletes five years of eligibility to compete in four seasons of their sport. This five-year period, referred to as the "eligibility clock," starts at the time an athlete enrolls full-time at any college, regardless of NCAA membership.

The five-year rule for two-year transfers is "intended" to help student-athletes graduate on time, but Pavia believes that beginning a JUCO athlete's eligibility clock one or two years prior to playing at an NCAA member institute is not as beneficial when obtaining a degree.

Pavia proposes slight changes to be made, suggesting that the eligibility clock should start when an athlete first registers at an NCAA member institution. For the latest updates on this matter, follow along through Tide 100.9.