We are receiving many calls and emails from former Junior College and NAIA athletes who are now at NCAA schools asking if they have additional eligibility in the NCAA because of the “new NCAA JUCO rule” or “the NCAA Pavia rule” as some people are calling it.

In a lawsuit filed against the NCAA, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia asked for extra seasons of playing eligibility because he didn’t think that his seasons played at the JUCO level should count against his permissible four seasons of college eligibility.

In response to a judge imposing a court injunction against the NCAA in the Pavia vs the NCAA case, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors has approved a waiver with a specific set of circumstances.

• This waiver is only available at the NCAA Division I level and only for athletes who competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more seasons AND who would have “…otherwise used their final season of competition during the 2024-25 academic year.”
• In addition, to be able to utilize this waiver, athletes also must meet other eligibility requirements, such as standard Division I academic requirements (percentage of degree completion, etc.)

It is possible that this may become an actual NCAA rule at some point in which seasons of competition for a JUCO or an NAIA program don’t count as seasons of competition in the NCAA, but that’s not the case at this time. We may learn more after the annual NCAA Convention, which begins on January 14 in Nashville.

If you have questions about this Division I waiver, or about any other eligibility situation, schedule a confidential Eligibility Issues Consult online, contact us at rick@informedathlete.com or by calling 913-766-1235.