Diego Pavia plans to play in the NFL next year, so why is he still fighting for eligibility?

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THE BIG 3

Pavia’s eligibility case continues — even he says this is his last year of college ball

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia won a temporary injunction late last year, which allowed him to play this season after he argued that his years at junior college should not count toward his eligibility clock. The NCAA went on to grant a waiver for this season for all athletes in Pavia’s situation for the 2025-26 season.

But that’s a limited scope — and so Pavia’s legal team is back in court, arguing for his 2026 eligibility, even though the quarterback has said this will be his final college season. The argument, then, is for other players in his situation. Friend of NIL Wire and Extra Points Sam Ehrlich shared a transcript of Pavia’s team’s argument on X, which clarified their argument: If the five-year eligibility clock requires players to pursue a four-year degree during that time, junior college years should not count; after all, junior college players are pursuing two-year degrees.

Under that argument, Pavia’s five-year clock on eligibility shouldn’t have started until his 2022 arrival at New Mexico State, and thus, pending redshirt rules, he should be eligible for 2026. If a judge agrees, that could help change the landscape for talented players who ascend from the junior college ranks — especially those who might have a higher earning potential in college than they would in the NFL.

Death to the spring football transfer portal

The NCAA announced this week that it’s done away with the spring transfer window for football — meaning there will be just one opportunity, around the end of the football season, for players to transfer. Proponents of the rule change had argued that two windows effectively meant coaching staffs had to constantly recruit their players to stay.

There’s another proposed tweak to the transfer portal that’s still pending; it would push the opening of the winter portal to Jan. 2, after the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Players would have 10 days to enter, and anyone whose team was still active would get five days after his final postseason game to add his name. 

Last year’s winter portal ran from Dec. 9 through Dec. 28, and given the expanded playoff, it led to some tricky situations for players. Beau Pribula, for instance, was Drew Allar’s backup at Penn State, but he got snaps as a changeup quarterback in a successful package for the Nittany Lions, and he would’ve seen playing time in the CFP. But once Allar announced he’d return for 2025, Pribula faced an impossible decision and ultimately decided to enter the portal rather than play in the postseason. Now, he’s Missouri’s starting QB (and an early Heisman candidate).

Does FERPA apply to revenue-sharing figures?

The University of New Mexico and New Mexico State are locked in a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government after they refused to share revenue-sharing figures with the nonprofit organization.

NMFOG filed an Inspection of Public Records Act request to see the schools’ revenue-sharing info, and both universities claimed the data is protected under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) — which primarily governs academic records and identifying students. NMFOG is arguing that the payments fall outside that jurisdiction. It also pointed out that the universities recently asked the state legislature for more funding to support its athletic department as revenue sharing takes hold.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Dabo Swinney’s got more to say about the new financial reality in college sports.

♦️ The Ivy League doubled down on its draconian feelings about NIL.

♦️ Swimming World did a deep dive into what NIL looks like in the pool.

♦️ Iowa State guard Jada Williams is a social media star. How did she build her following?

♦️ West Virginia passed a bill that allows universities to found non-profits to manage revenue sharing and NIL opportunities.

♦️ University of Oklahoma leadership discussed women’s and Olympic sports in the revenue sharing era.

♦️ Are college football players still part of on-campus culture?

♦️ A few weeks ago, Extra Points wrote about state abortion laws and their effect on women’s basketball recruiting, and this week, the Washington Post ran a column on the subject.

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Have you ever attended a college football game at an NFL stadium?

• Yes, and it was great - 33%

• Yes, and I wish I’d been on campus - 31%

• No - 36%