In college, Diego Pavia was a controversial quarterback who frequently made national headlines. His fiery play style and dual-threat production at Vanderbilt led the Commodores to a historic season, earning him a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
After going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft, Pavia signed with the Baltimore Ravens but was waived in July prior to training camp. Without an NFL contract, analysts are now exploring whether a legal loophole could grant the quarterback another season of college eligibility.
Diego Pavia Might Have a Path Back to College Football
During his successful campaign for the Commodores, he threw for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns, while also adding 862 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground. Now, it seems like there is a potential way back for him.
Analyst Ev Hand detailed what he termed a legal “loophole” under the NCAA’s eligibility rules that could theoretically allow Pavia to seek a seventh college season. The strategy would require additional court intervention, a process Pavia navigated previously during his eligibility dispute.
“Diego Pavia actually has a chance to play college football again, and I’m not kidding. This man could get a seventh season,” Hand revealed, before going into details.
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The new details of the NCAA’s “Five-in-five” rule explicitly state that a player has five years to play five seasons of college football. That clock starts ticking at the start of the academic year after the individual turns 19 or when they first enroll full-time in college, whichever comes first, with prior stops, including JUCO programs, counting against it.
Pavia previously sued the NCAA, arguing that his two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute should not count against his Division I eligibility window.
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A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in that case, clearing the way to return to Vanderbilt. Hand argues that new NCAA rules could allow Pavia’s legal team to pursue further relief.
“Technically, Diego’s only played four Division I seasons,” Hand explained. “But the new rules and this entire legal climate is handing these guys five years of eligibility… He would say that everyone counting these two years at JUCO would be unfair to him. It’s uncompetitive.”
While the scenario remains hypothetical, Hand noted that existing court injunctions across college athletics provide a precedent for new eligibility cases.
There is an insane loophole with the NCAA’s new “five in five” rule that COULD possibly give Diego Pavia an avenue to play his seventh year of college football 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/3nVQ7UzeH3
— Ev Hand (@Evan_Hand) August 20, 2026
“Hypothetically, his lawyers could step in right now and ask for another injunction because his two years at JUCO were violating antitrust laws,” Hand said.
“If the judge does side with him, he could get an injunction for this season to play at Vanderbilt because of the new rules that give players a fifth year in college sports. I mean, it is a crazy loophole, but it makes sense somehow.”
It remains to be seen if Pavia wants to go down this road again. Between the CFL and UFL, there are other options at his disposal. But if he wants to return to college, there are avenues he can explore.
