Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia Is Suing The NCAA For An Extra Year Of Eligibility

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia led Vanderbilt to a historic upset of Alabama — where afterwards, the Commodores’ goalposts were carried through the streets of Nashville and clear up Broadway — is trying to come back for more. Pavia is keen to continue his collegiate career. So much so that he’s taking legal action. Pavia filed a lawsuit against the NCAA to earn one more season of eligibility. https://twitter.com/chrislee70/status/1855048851943539029 I gotta say, this quote from the above report by Rivals affiliate VandySports from Pavia's lawyer, Ryan Downton, makes me believe he has a legit case. "College football is now a multi-billion dollar business with top athletes able to make over a million dollars per year from NIL earnings. Because of those changes, JUCO football is not a reasonable equivalent to NCAA Division I college football and the NCAA Bylaws eliminating eligibility based on JUCO seasons are no longer valid restrictions under the United States antitrust laws. The restrictions in this case are no different that other transfer restrictions eliminated by the NCAA earlier this year after a Court’s entry of a temporary restraining order in the State of Ohio v. NCAA case. We look forward to working with the NCAA to resolve this lawsuit in an equitable manner." If you're really interested in the nitty-gritty legalese, go nuts: https://twitter.com/WinterSportsLaw/status/1855047072661037074 Pavia's rise to stardom at Vandy is an improbable one. The Albuquerque native — spelled that right in one shot without Google, hell yeah — started his college gridiron journey at New Mexico Military Institute from 2020-21 before transferring to New Mexico State for the next two years. Then, he lands with the Commodores this season, and BOOM! Fireworks! In addition to knocking off Alabama, Vandy lost to Texas 27-24 when the Longhorns were No. 5, and 30-27 to Mizzou in double OT when they were ranked seventh. For as good of a college field general and emotional leader as Pavia is, he’d have his work cut out to ever make it in the NFL. It takes extraordinary athleticism or arm talent to overcome a 5-foot-11 frame such as Pavia's, although it’s not as outright disqualifying as it used to be. The thing is, developing into a draftable NFL prospect isn’t really the main incentive for Pavia to stick around and play big man on campus. His charisma, infectious enthusiasm, and high level of play in lifting Vanderbilt to SEC respectability make him a magnet for NIL endorsement deals. According to his composite profile from On3.com, Pavia's NIL valuation is at $893,000. To use another outlier QB as a point of comparison: San Francisco 49ers star Brock Purdy, who's led his team to two NFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance, had a base salary of $870K last season. His rookie contract is especially cheap since he was the last pick in his draft class, but still. Goes to show you the windfall of NIL cash flying across the college football landscape. My take when it comes to Pavia trying to squeeze in one extra year of eligibility? On one hand, I'm kinda like: OK is everyone gonna try to be Van Wilder/Bert Kreischer now? On the other hand, the NIL Wild West gives these athletes a chance to cash in on their extraordinary talents when they couldn't really at all before. Johnny Manziel and Greg Oden were recently talking about how they just missed out on the NIL explosion. Sucks for them, because they would've been legit millionaires even before they went pro. Pavia's point about JUCO not giving him the same NIL opportunities he has at the FBS level is a great one. My buddy from high school a cappella choir Anand has a good take here that I felt compelled to share. https://twitter.com/NanduriNFL/status/1855049393499463683 I see how the NCAA could be like, "Well shoot Diego, why weren't you better when you were younger so you could reach the FBS level sooner!?" And I could envision him replying, "You should be thanking me and rewarding me with this extra year, because I was the catalyst for another money-making team to emerge in the SEC! Everyone wins, even you!" I legit can’t believe Pavia almost single-handedly made Vanderbilt competitive in the best conference in America. Going heads up with Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, and beating him? That’s about as dope as it gets. All due respect to the fine folks of Nashville, but a college football powerhouse Vandy is decidedly not. The Commodores haven’t been relevant since the Jay Cutler days. Even with him they were losing all the time. Then, like, Pat Shurmur’s son was the quarterback a while back? He wasn't bad. Deion might’ve saved Pat’s career, though, by letting him call plays for Shedeur Sanders at Colorado. OK before we get too far afield, let’s keep it on Pavia. But really, that semi-tangent was meant to underscore just how impactful Pavia has been for the Commodores. If he can keep them humming, rake in some NIL money, and continue the momentum into next season, it ought to be a huge boon for recruiting. There are far more prestigious landing spots in the SEC like Bama, Georgia and Texas to name a mere few. The Pavia-powered sales pitch could be that, in addition to NIL money, higher-end recruits could be part of something special at Vandy, wherein the Commodores evolve into legit SEC contenders in the coming years. Getting in on the ground level of that surge, and emerging as a new college football power? That’s how you drive some studs toward your traditionally nerdy school. That’s a compliment, by the way! Now that we've reached the end of this here story, I've decided I'm on Diego Pavia's side. In favor of the extra year of eligibility. Good luck, Diego! Leading Vandy to a 6-3 mark to this point deserves an additional year on its own. Here were the Commodores' records before Pavia's arrival: 3-9, 0-9, 2-10, 5-7, and 2-10 in 2023. He catalyzed a similar turnaround at New Mexico State. Come on, NCAA. Do what's right.