In Nashville, Tennessee, attorney Ryan Downton, representing Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia and 26 other collegiate football players, has leveraged the NCAA's recent decision allowing NBA draft pick James Nnaji to resume college basketball to argue for his clients’ eligibility to compete in the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Although Diego Pavia intends to declare for the NFL draft, he persists with a legal challenge against the NCAA. His lawsuit disputes a regulation that treats seasons played at junior college as counting toward the permissible participation timeline in Division I football.
On Christmas Eve, Baylor University proclaimed the addition of 7-foot center James Nnaji to their basketball roster. Nnaji brings the experience of four professional seasons in Europe and was selected 31st overall in the NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons; his rights have since been transferred to both the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks.
Downton highlighted Nnaji’s case in a memorandum filed on Friday with U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell. He calls for an injunction preventing the NCAA from enforcing eligibility rules he deems inconsistent, especially given Nnaji’s exemption despite a professional background.
Opening his memorandum by referencing Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem, Downton dramatically underscored what he identifies as NCAA hypocrisy: allowing a 21-year-old with four years of professional play and a prior NBA draft selection to maintain four years of college eligibility.
The memorandum points out that Nnaji, who also participated in the NBA Summer League, will still retain eligibility at age 25. Meanwhile, the NCAA defends its position by asserting that extending eligibility to older former junior college players disadvantages high school seniors.
Pavia’s initial lawsuit against the NCAA began in November 2024, leading to a preliminary injunction that granted him eligibility for the current season. Under his leadership, Vanderbilt achieved a No. 13 ranking in the AP poll, marking a historically successful season and securing a spot against Iowa in the upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31.
The lawsuit now includes 26 additional plaintiffs, such as Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, who collectively aim to contest the NCAA’s stringent eligibility timeline. Under NCAA rules, athletes have five years to participate in four seasons, with the clock starting upon enrollment at any collegiate institution, regardless of NCAA membership.
For Pavia, his collegiate timeline began in 2020 at the New Mexico Military Institute. That year was not sanctioned against his eligibility due to COVID-19 exceptions. After securing the junior college national title in 2021, he played for New Mexico State in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Vanderbilt for 2024. This schedule has resulted in his sixth collegiate season overall but only his fourth at the Division I level.
The NCAA faces multiple legal challenges concerning its eligibility policies. Downton also represents players in a separate lawsuit on the NCAA’s redshirt rule, featuring Vanderbilt linebacker Langston Patterson and others petitioning Judge Campbell on December 15 for an injunction allowing participation in the 2026 season.