Some college athletes will see their careers extended, at least for now.
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors, made up of university presidents, agreed to a waiver for college players that grants them an extra year of eligibility if they find themselves in a similar situation to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. .
Pavia is suing the NCAA over its eligibility standards, arguing that his seasons as a college player should not count as part of his four seasons of NCAA eligibility. The NCAA DI Board’s decision came five days after a The federal court in Tennessee granted Pavia an injunction that prohibits the association from counting his college seasons, granting him an extra year of eligibility.
The court ruling only applied to Pavia. However, the NCAA, in an effort to maintain fairness among its competitive schools, granted additional eligibility to all similarly positioned athletes, according to a memo sent to the schools.
Athletes like Pavia, who were expected to use their final year of eligibility this academic year, will now be eligible next season. Pavia played two seasons in college and three seasons in Division I football (one of which was the COVID redshirt season). Due to the court ruling, he will receive a sixth season of NCAA eligibility.
“The NCAA Division I Board of Directors granted a waiver to allow student-athletes who attended and competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years to remain eligible and compete in 2025-26,” says the NCAA memo, “if those student-athletes would otherwise have used their final season of competition during the 2024-25 academic year and met all other eligibility requirements (e.g., progress toward earning of a degree, five-year eligibility period).”
The NCAA also plans to file an appeal of the court’s ruling in Pavia’s lawsuit, it announced Monday.
In perhaps more important news, the NCAA could be moving toward a more significant change to its eligibility rules, something the association suggested in its memo to schools on Monday. The NCAA memo reminded schools that the Division I Council is exploring a “comprehensive” review of eligibility rules to create a framework that is “sustainable and can withstand scrutiny,” the memo said.
There is a move by university leaders to adjust the eligibility rule in a way that grants athletes five seasons of play over a five-year span. Current NCAA rules allow athletes four seasons of play over a five-year period, often referred to as the association’s “five-year eligibility clock.”
For now, only certain sports grant athletes the ability to play in multiple competitions and still retain one year of eligibility. For example, football players can regain a season of eligibility with a redshirt if they play fewer than four games during a season.
The NCAA board’s ruling Monday opens the door for hundreds, if not thousands, of former college athletes to extend their careers, if they so choose. As the NCAA suggested in its statement on the court order last week, the consequences of this will be felt by high school players whose projected roster spots will no longer be open.
The decision comes in the midst of an unstable and also somewhat chaotic time. Schools are struggling to comply with new rules imposed as part of the NCAA’s landmark settlement of the House antitrust case, including stricter limitations on roster sizes. More than 4,000 positions in the workforce are expected to be eliminated only among the power leagues.
“Altering the application of rules overwhelmingly supported by NCAA member schools makes the changing environment even more unstable,” the association said in last week’s statement.
Last week’s court ruling is the third major court decision in the last year that prohibits the association from enforcing a rule. A West Virginia court made it possible for athletes transferring for a second or more time to play immediately. A ruling by a federal court in Tennessee made virtually irrelevant the NCAA’s interim NIL policy, which allows boosters and booster-run collectives to negotiate with athletes before they register.
At the center of Pavia’s argument is the fact that he and other athletes are now entitled to compensation from boosters and, soon, schools through the House Agreement Income Sharing Provision.
He will earn at least $1 million next year in college, it says in the document. Starting in July, schools can share revenue directly with athletes. Paves the way for millions of dollars (up to $20.5 million annually per school) to be shared with athletes in a giant step that Major college sports move from an amateur model to a professionalized concept..
It’s a good reason for athletes (especially players who are unlikely to get drafted) to stay in college as long as they can.