Diego Pavia reacts to NCAA ruling granting eligibility to former JUCO players

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia helped set in motion the granting of a waiver from the NCAA that will allow players who previously played at the JUCO level an additional year of eligibility for the 2025-26 season.

Pavia was previously granted an additional season of eligibility after his motion for a preliminary injunction was approved by the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee. Monday, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors granted a waiver so that will apply to athletes across every sport.

Amid the credit he was receiving for the ruling, Pavia took to social media to react to the news.

“Don’t thank me, THANK GOD,” he wrote.

Don’t thank me, THANK GOD❤️

— Diego Pavia (@diegopavia02) December 23, 2024

Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt this offseason after playing the past two years at New Mexico State. He would go on to lead the Commodores to a 6-6 record, including an upset win against Alabama, to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018.

Pavia threw for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns to four interceptions while also rushing for another 716 yards and six scores this past season.

With the quarterback beginning his career at New Mexico Military Institute in 2020, this was thought to be his final season of eligibility. However, the motion granted now allows him to play a sixth season and return to Nashville.

Although the NCAA has granted a waiver to not count JUCO seasons against eligibility this upcoming year the ruling is not permanent. The NCAA is also appealing the preliminary injunction granted to Pavia in attempt to prevent this from being the case in the future.

NCAA President Charlie Baker reacts to Diego Pavia eligibility ruling

The NCAA issued a statement late Wednesday criticizing the decision by U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee Judge William Campbell to give Pavia an extra year of eligibility.

NCAA President Charlie Baker doubled down on that statement Thursday afternoon during an in-studio appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, pointing out the potential unintended consequences the Pavia decision could have on NCAA eligibility writ large. In effect, by ruling JUCO seasons counting towards NCAA eligibility violates antitrust laws, it opens the door for other JUCO athletes to petition for additional years of NCAA eligibility.

“By the way, I love watching (Pavia) play, I really do. … But my big worry about it is there’s a rhythm to college sports. And the rules associated with (the NCAA’s) four years of eligibility – except for injuries and redshirts and all the rest – has been with us forever, and it’s how we make it possible to sort of line up academic performance with athletic performance and opportunity, and to make sure the next generation of kids have a place to go,” Baker said Thursday. “If you writ large this decision across the JUCOs, and then maybe somebody says ‘Well hell, if JUCOs get two years plus four, why shouldn’t anybody that goes to college get six?’ You’re going to create a freight train collision … with all the high school kids that are going to have no place to go.”

On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this report.