NCAA grants waiver to former JUCO athletes in wake of Pavia ruling, but will appeal

Kilgore (TX) College wide receiver Samuel Mbake during a play this fall against Blinn. The NCAA on Monday granted waivers to former junior college transfers currently at four-year programs who are running out of eligibility this year, granting them another year next school year -- this in the aftermath of the ruling by a Federal judge in Tennessee that did a similar favor to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Pavia recently sued the NCAA and argued that time spent at a JUCO shouldn't count against an athlete's four years of NCAA eligibility. The NCAA also announced Monday that they're appealing that decision. (Photo by ALEX NABOR - THE FOOTBALL BEAT)

Now THIS is a game-changer.

Historic news Monday from the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors, who, in lieu of a legal battle with Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, have approved a waiver granting former junior college transfers an extra year of eligibility at their four-year programs.

In other words, athletes at four-year universities who transferred there from junior college and were about to be ineligible after this year can return for the 2025-26 season in their respective sport, should they choose to do so.

Pavia, battling for another year of eligibility (either at Vandy or somewhere else, if he were to enter the transfer portal), won his most recent legal battle when a Tennessee judge granted an injunction to allow him to continue his battle to play another college season next fall.

The quarterback, who engineered an upset of Alabama in Nashville a couple of months ago, began the legal action in November and is arguing that an athlete’s time at junior college violates antitrust laws, and wants those years to not count against eligibility at all. That would mean athletes’ eligibility clock wouldn’t start until they arrive at a four-year program.

Pavia played at New Mexico Military Institute a couple of years ago, and led the Roswell school to the NJCAA national championship. He transferred to New Mexico State after that, and then to Vandy.

Pavia threw for 2,133 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions in the 2024 season, helping the Commodores to their best season in many years, a 6-6 finish and a bowl game: Friday in Birmingham, Alabama, in the Birmingham bowl against Georgia Tech.

Again, the waiver doesn’t apply to every former JUCO transfer; only to the ones who completed their final year in 2024-25.

And in that announcement, the NCAA told us it’s not over: they’re appealing the decision of their ruling vs. Pavia.