The NCAA Division I Board of Directors approves a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to former junior college transfers.

 The waiver helps those like Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, a former junior college transfer who played his first season at Vanderbilt in 2024, to pursue an additional year of college eligibility next fall. The memo from the NCAA extends an extra year of eligibility in 2025-26 to athletes who previously "competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years", therefore having no NCAA eligibility following the 2024-25 season.

 The decision from the NCAA comes five days after a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction to allow Pavia more eligibility, a ruling the NCAA is appealing.

 Pavia's lawsuit against the NCAA states eligibility standards in place violates antitrust laws by restricting an athlete's ability to profit from their name, image, and likeness.

 The waiver is only extended to those who would have completed their NCAA eligibility this year. Under the new waiver, Pavia will be granted a sixth year of NCAA eligibility next fall.

 Pavia and the Commodores take on Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl Friday.

 In a memo released last night, NJCAA President and CEO Dr. Christopher Parker says the NJCAA full supports the waiver being granted to all two year college student athletes like Diego Pavia.