College Football Coach 'Totally' Disagrees With Diego Pavia's Eligibility Ruling
12/19/2024 03:39 PM
With all due respect to the College Football Playoff, the transfer portal and player eligibility is perhaps the biggest sport in the story at the moment.
Before the Playoff gets underway on Friday evening, the college football world has been glued to social media as they try to find out where certain players will go.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is one of those players, and he'll be returning for another year following the ruling to grant him an additional year of eligibility.
Pavia is a former JUCO player, and the U.S. District Court of Middle Tennessee found the redshirt rule in place by the NCAA for junior college players to be in violation of antitrust laws.
Many fans are happy to see Pavia return for another year after becoming a fan favorite this season, but one coach in the SEC isn't pleased with the court's decision.
"I totally disagree with the...determination on this," said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, a former junior college player himself.
When asked by @Joshua_Newman about the decision to allow Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia an additional year, Steve Sarkisian was pretty straight forward:
— Cory Mose (@Cory_Mose) December 19, 2024
"I totally disagree...we're going to have guys 28-29 years old playing college football"#HookEm | #Texaspic.twitter.com/9yTFXZXkCd
"We chose to go to junior college football. That's where we wanted to start and play our careers. So, I don't understand it at all. We're going to have guys 28-29 years old playing college football. What's the point? I don't get it. I don't understand it. I totally disagree with it."
Pavia began his college football career at the New Mexico Military Institute before transferring to New Mexico State after two seasons. He would play another two seasons for the Aggies before transferring to Vanderbilt in 2024.
The NCAA released a statement on the ruling, expressing a similar sentiment to Sarkisian.
"The NCAA is disappointed in today's ruling and wants all student-athletes to maximize their name, image and likeness potential without depriving future student-athletes of opportunities," the organization said.
"Altering the enforcement of rules overwhelmingly supported by NCAA member schools makes a shifting environment even more unsettled. The NCAA is making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but a patchwork of state laws and court opinions make clear that partnering with Congress is essential to provide stability for the future of all college athletes."
We'll see how Pavia's return - and, more importantly, the overall eligibility adjustment for former junior college players - affects college football.
Related: ESPN Names The No. 1 Player In The College Football Playoff
