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Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia fell short in his pursuit of a ReliaQuest Bowl win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday afternoon.
Iowa won the game, 34-27.
Pavia was 25-of-38 for 347 yards with three total touchdowns — two passing and one rushing. The Heisman Trophy finalist had an 11-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to seven points. Iowa and Vanderbilt then traded field goals, but the Commodores couldn’t get the ball back.
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Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia throws a pass against Iowa during the first half of the ReliaQuest Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
The loss to end Vanderbilt’s season comes as Pavia battles the NCAA over their eligibility rules. While he may end up entering the NFL Draft, the lawsuit continues in hopes of helping other junior college players. The lawsuit challenges the NCAA rule that counts seasons spent at junior colleges toward players’ eligibility for Division I football.
Last week, a lawyer for Pavia and 26 other football players cited the NCAA’s decision to allow an NBA draft to return to college basketball as a reason for a federal judge to let his clients play in 2026 and 2027.
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Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the first quarter during the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on Dec. 31, 2025. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Pavia initially sued the NCAA in November 2024 and won a preliminary injunction weeks later that allowed him to play this season. He was the SEC Player of the Year this season with 3,192 passing yards and 27 touchdown passes in the regular season. The Commodores finished 10-3 after the loss to Iowa.
The quarterback’s lawsuit has since added 26 other plaintiffs, including Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar.
NCAA rules allow athletes five years to play four seasons under an eligibility clock beginning at any “collegiate institution,” regardless of whether the school is an NCAA member.
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Pavia played at New Mexico Military Institute in 2020, which did not count toward eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He led the school to a junior college national championship before playing at New Mexico State in 2022 and 2023 and later Vanderbilt.
