The hopes of the Vanderbilt Commodores in 2025 ride on the shoulders of their quarterback Diego Pavia. After transferring to Vanderbilt, Diego Pavia proved to be the player the Commodores needed to go from the laughing stock of the SEC to a team everyone needed to fear. When Vanderbilt added Diego Pavia everyone thought it was a one year addition as he only appeared to have one season of eligibilty remaining.
That proved to be the wrong notion as Diego Pavia challenged the NCAA in court and ended up being allowed to play one more season as it was ruled that a players time in JUCO shouldn't count against their eligibility. When Pavia landed the decision it started a trend in College Football but, it was always a temporary decision as the NCAA had a chance to appeal.
On Friday, the NCAA found out when it'll get its day in court as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals set a date for oral arguments in the NCAA's appeal for September 16th.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has just set a date for oral arguments for the NCAA's appeal of Diego Pavia's preliminary injunction. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 16 at 10 AM CT in Nashville, TN.
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) August 22, 2025
The issue of Diego Pavia's eligibility not getting resolved before the season is a massive misstep by the NCAA as the Commodores and other programs with players in a similar position are now in limbo. If Pavia is ruled ineligible, it could derail the Commodores season especially as Pavia will want to appeal but, it may take too long to get back in front of a judge.
The Commodores open their season on August 30th against Charleston Southern while games against Virginia Tech and the SEC opener against 13th ranked South Carolina will be played before Diego Pavia is back in court. After September, Vanderbilt faces Alabama, LSU, Missouri, Texas, Auburn, and Tennessee which is a gauntlet especially if Diego Pavia isn't leading his team into action.
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