Diego Pavia could have path back to college football, but it won’t be easy
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An undrafted rookie’s NFL career can come to a quick end once training camps begin and roster decisions pile up. However, a changing legal landscape may have left one former college football star with an unexpected alternative.
Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has not joined another NFL team since the Baltimore Ravens released him days before training camp opened in July. New court rulings could now crack open a different door for the 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
That door leads back to college football.
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Pavia’s NFL opportunity ended early
The Ravens signed Pavia as an undrafted free agent in April. He was the first Heisman finalist in 12 years to go unselected in the NFL draft.
Pavia competed for the No. 3 quarterback job behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Baltimore waived him on July 23 to create a roster spot for veteran center Ethan Pocic, leaving Skylar Thompson and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano in the competition.
Pavia cleared waivers and has not received any reported interest from another NFL team. The CFL has not emerged as a landing spot. And the UFL season does not begin until after the NFL season.
That leaves Pavia waiting for a call unless he explores a familiar legal route.
New NCAA rulings could create an opening
Pavia sued the NCAA in November 2024, arguing that his two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute should not count against his NCAA eligibility.
A judge granted Pavia a preliminary injunction that allowed him to play a fifth Division I season at Vanderbilt in 2025. The Sixth Circuit later dismissed the NCAA’s appeal as moot after the association issued a waiver for junior college players in similar situations.
Pavia said that season would be his last, but a separate lawsuit has since changed the eligibility picture.
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On July 31, U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a nationwide class action injunction in Wisne v. NCAA. The decision covered athletes from the 2022 high school class who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this past spring.
The injunction created a potential fifth season for those athletes in 2026-27. More than a dozen FBS players have reportedly expressed interest in returning, while Indiana defensive lineman Stephen Daley is among those planning to come back.
Pavia does not fit neatly into that group. He has played six college seasons, including four at the Division I level with New Mexico State and Vanderbilt.
Still, his original argument could support another lawsuit. His complaint said counting junior college seasons “unjustifiably restrains” an athlete’s ability to earn name, image and likeness compensation for four full NCAA seasons.
“A junior college season shouldn’t be the equivalent of an NCAA season when the junior college season has no meaningful opportunities to earn NIL, no television exposure,” attorney Ryan Downton said.
A college football return requires quick decisions
Pavia would need to file another lawsuit and secure an injunction quickly. Fall camps are underway, and most teams settled their quarterback plans months ago.
He also would need a school willing to add him while the NCAA continues defending its eligibility rules in court.
With limited options and the clock winding down, the decision should be obvious after what Pavia accomplished a year ago. He threw for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns last season while adding 826 rushing yards and nine scores for Vanderbilt. He is a proven SEC quarterback without an NFL contract blocking his return.
Pavia has repeatedly said his college career is over. Still, the legal path available looks much different than it did when he left Vanderbilt. With his pro options running thin, his best bet is to return to college football.
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