Takedown Report

Diego Pavia Is Trying to Kill NCAA JUCO Eligibility Rules for Good

After winning an injunction to play college football this season, the Vanderbilt quarterback is filing an amended complaint to turn his case into a class action for all NCAA athletes. 
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is a legitimate Heisman candidate, and his team is a serious contender for a spot in the College Football Playoff. That’s thanks to an injunction Pavia won in federal court last year arguing his years playing junior college shouldn’t count toward his NCAA eligibility. 
Now Pavia’s lawyers are preparing to file an amended complaint and add multiple players to his original lawsuit to make it a proposed class action, Pavia’s attorney, Ryan Downton, tells Front Office Sports. 
The new plaintiffs include football players from multiple schools, including Vanderbilt’s Tre Richardson, Louisiana Tech’s Andrew Burnette, Virginia Tech’s James Djonkam, and Oklahoma State’s Iman Oates. With the imminent amended complaint, Pavia and his attorneys hope to set a completely new precedent nationwide and permanently change the rule that currently requires JUCO seasons to count against a player’s four years of NCAA eligibility.
Pavia plans to declare for the NFL Draft and will not seek another year of NCAA eligibility, Downton says—but wants to remain a part of the lawsuit to ensure future players have the same opportunities he has had. Pavia played two seasons at the New Mexico Military Institute before transferring to New Mexico State, a Division I program, in 2022. He transferred to Vanderbilt for the 2024–25 season. 
According to NCAA rules, Pavia’s college career should have been over after that: The NCAA currently allows players to complete four full seasons within five calendar years, and junior college (JUCO) years count toward that time period (though players received waivers to not count their COVID-19 seasons). But his injunction allowed him a second season at Vanderbilt. (The NCAA tried to appeal the ruling, but a federal court refused to review the injunction.) 
Downton had never challenged NCAA rules before representing Pavia—in fact, he once represented the NCAA itself in a trademark dispute over the name “March Madness.” … more at … https://frontofficesports.com/diego-pavia-is-trying-to-kill-ncaa-juco-eligibility-rules-for-good/

November 27, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | ncaa, sports