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Vanderbilt

Diego Pavia responds to attorney suggesting 7th season of eligibility in play

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs14 hours agogrant_grubbs_
Diego Pavia by Butch Dill-Imagn Images
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia celebrates a 40-35 win over Alabama. (Butch Dill-Imagn Images)

On Tuesday, Sam Ehrlich reported Diego Pavia‘s lawyer is preparing to ask for an injunction to allow the Vanderbilt quarterback to play college football for a seventh season in 2026. Pavia responded to the allegation on X, shooting down the rumor.

Pavia’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the NCAA was granted in Dec. 2024, allowing him to play a sixth year. Pavia argued the NCAA’s redshirt rule involving junior college eligibility violates antitrust law.

Following the ruling, the NCAA issued a blanket waiver for 2025-26 that granted an extra year 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. Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State ahead of the 2024 season.

Vanderbilt is 3-0 this season, most recently dominating South Carolina in a 31-7 blowout. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 11 in the country at the time of the matchup.

In the win, Pavia completed 18-of-his-25 pass attempts for 177 yards and two touchdowns, compared to one interception. Pavia isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, either. He notched 24 yards in the win as well, along with a highlight block.

Diego Pavia has completed 73.5% of his pass attempts for 645 yards and seven TDs this season thus far. With their next two games against Group-of-Five opponents, the Commodores could be rolling into Week 6 with a 5-0 record.

Pavia would expect nothing less from his Commodores. During this summer, Pavia declared Vanderbilt’s goal is to win the national championship. As expected, the comment received no shortage of criticism.

After all, last year was Vanderbilt’s first winning season since 2013 and the program hasn’t won a conference title since 1923. Nonetheless, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea is always confident when he has Diego Pavia leading his offense.

“He’s a great player,” Lea said of Pavia after the Commodores’ Week 3 win over South Carolina. “Anytime he’s taking us out, I’ve got confidence that we’re gonna win. But it’s the unseen things, sometimes, that make the difference. The quiet connections, the belief he has and in his teammates.

“… “When your leaders do that, when your leaders play that way, it gives everyone a license to play that way. So, we believe in him, we think he’s the best there is, and I’m happy for him to be having success.”