Diego Pavia is cleared to return to Vanderbilt in 2025, which is terrible news for Hugh Freeze

A major hurdle in Diego Pavia’s quest for an extra year of NCAA eligibility has been cleared. On Wednesday, a federal judge granted him an injunction allowing him to play in 2025. Pavia’s legal team argued his two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute should not count against his NCAA eligibility limit because he was unable to capitalize in name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities at the junior college.

This is a massive win for both the player and the Vanderbilt Commodores team he lifted to its first bowl game since 2018 this fall. Pavia emerged as a dual-threat force for the Dores, racking up 23 total touchdowns as Vanderbilt scored wins over Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Auburn and, most notably, Alabama. Wednesday’s ruling stands to give him another chance to make waves in the SEC and further his legend, assuming any NCAA appeals fail to pan out.

Pavia could use the platform Vanderbilt gave him in 2024 to transfer to a program that could put him under a brighter spotlight. Early indications from sources around the Commodores suggest he’ll stay in Nashville alongside former New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill, who brought him to the SEC last spring.

If that’s true, it’s terrible news for Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze.

Pavia’s college career has been defined by two things; his 300-plus total yards in Vandy’s first win over the Crimson Tide in 44 years (along with a legendary post game interview) and his utter disregard for Freeze’s football teams. As an Aggie he beat Freeze’s Liberty Flames 49-14 in 2022, scoring six touchdowns in the process. One year later he and New Mexico State traveled east to play Freeze after he’d taken the reins at Auburn. Pavia threw three more touchdowns in a 31-10 victory.

His transfer to Vanderbilt gave him the latitude to stymie Freeze once more, this time in a sloppy 17-7 win that secured bowl eligibility in Nashville and briefly pushed the Commodores back to top 25 status. Should Pavia stay at Vanderbilt, he’d get one more chance to torture Freeze; the Commodores and Tigers are set to meet in Tennessee November 8, 2025.

In the meantime, Pavia will resume preparations as he tried to guide Vandy to its first postseason win in more than a decade. The Commodores face Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl December 27.