In a thrilling turn of events, the Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia helped out the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Kalen DeBoer after handing them a heartrbreaking defeat earlier in the season. Though that loss to Vanderbilt was the beginning of the end for Bama’s playoff hopes, Pavia’s lawsuit against the NCAA has now been quite benefitial for the Crimson Tide.
Diego Pavia started his college football career in 2020 at junior college New Mexico Military Institute, he’d transfer to New Mexico State in 2022 before arriving at Vanderbilt in 2024. He was listed as a second-year senior during his first year with the school at Nashville, and therefore had no years of eligibility remaining after the season came to a close.
However, Pavia filed a lawsuit, suing the NCAA in November “over its eligibility standards, arguing that the organization’s rule of counting a player’s junior college years against his overall NCAA eligibility violates antitrust laws by restricting an athlete’s ability to profit from their name, image, and likeness,”, via ESPN.
The motion was approved and the ruling came out in Pavia’s favor, awarding him an extra year of eligibility. Pavia wasn’t the only benefitted, likewise was Alabama standout linebacker Justin Jefferson. Thanks to the court’s verdict and subsequent NCAA’s statement, Jefferson was granted another year of eligibility and has decided to return for his senior season in Tuscaloosa.
Justin Jefferson started his college career at Pearl River Community College, transferring to Alabama in 2023. In 2024, Jefferson posted a sensational season registering 60 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble.
He came into the year as the team’s third off-ball linebacker, and after Jihaad Campbell declared for the NFL Draft, he hopes to climb up the ranks along Deontae Lawson, who will also be returning after a season-ending injury against Oklahoma.
Star cornerback announces return for 2025 season
Cornerback Domani Jackson became the Crimson Tide’s number one corner during the 2024 season, finishing the campaign with two interceptions. Jackson walked into Alabama as a transfer from USC, and was tabbed a five-star recruit coming out of high school.
Jackson’s return implies a significant boost for Kalen DeBoer and the Tide’s secondary. Fans in Tuscaloosa are hyped about the potential duo of Domani Jackson and Jaylen Mbakwe, though the latter has gotten reps as a wideout lately.
NCAA’s ruling on Pavia’s lawsuit
The NCAA D1 Board of Directors approved a waiver granting an extra year of eligibility to former JUCO (Junior College) players in similar positions to Pavia’s, that is facing their last year of eligibility under the past rules.
The waiver extends an extra year of eligibility in 2025-26 to athletes who previously “competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years” and otherwise would have exhausted their NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season, according to ESPN.