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Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia came up short in his quest for a ReliaQuest Bowl victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday afternoon.
Iowa won the game 34-27.
Pavie finished 25 of 38 for 347 yards with three total touchdowns – two passing and one rushing. The Heisman Trophy finalist scored an 11-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to seven points. Iowa and Vanderbilt then traded field goals, but the Commodores were unable to 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 its eligibility rules. Although 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 against players’ eligibility for Division I football.
Last week, an attorney for Pavia and 26 other football players cited the NCAA’s decision to allow a player selected in the NBA draft to return to college basketball as reason a federal judge should let his clients play in 2026 and 2027.
OREGON’S DAN LANNING REQUESTS COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON TO END ON JANUARY 1 OF EACH YEAR
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 December 31, 2025. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Pavie initially sued the NCAA in November 2024 and was granted a preliminary injunction a few weeks later that allowed him to play that 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 more plaintiffs, including Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar.
NCAA rules give athletes five years to play four seasons under an eligibility schedule that begins at any “college,” whether or not the school is an NCAA member.
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Pavie played at New Mexico Military Institute in 2020, which did not count for 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 at Vanderbilt.
