These BYU players could return for another season after NCAA's ruling on JUCOs

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Massive changes are already coming to college football as schools grapple with the results of the NCAA v. House settlement that will lead to around $20 million in revenue sharing as early as next season.

But an equally massive change to eligibility standards may be on its way, too.

After a federal judge in Tennessee issued an injunction Dec. 18 that will grant Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia another season of eligibility following the two seasons he spent in junior college, the NCAA fired back with an appeal of the ruling — and also granted a waiver allowing athletes in a similar situation as the Commodores' starter to play in 2025-26.

Pavia, who threw for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first season at Vanderbilt, including upsets over then-No. 1 Alabama and Auburn, argued that the NCAA's eligibility rules prevent him from making as much as $1 million in name, image and likeness fees. U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell ruled in favor of Pavia, saying that he was likely to win his argument that NCAA Division I eligibility rules discriminated against him under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, according to the Associated Press.

That means that any athlete who played football outside the NCAA — referring primarily to junior college and NAIA — and whose eligibility was set to expire during the 2024-25 academic year could return to play for one more year.

The ruling could affect as many as five BYU football players who were expected to graduate or depart the program for the professional ranks, but may not return for one more season — either in Provo or to the NCAA transfer portal. Here are the players who spent at least a year in junior college before

• CB Mory Bamba (Tyler Junior College)
• RB Hinckley Ropati (Cerritos College)
• WR Darius Lassiter (Butler Community College before Eastern Michigan)
• TE Ray Paulo (Allan Hancock College)
• OL Caleb Etienne (Fort Scott Community College before Oklahoma State)

BYU's other former junior college players are in favor of the rule change, as well.

"I think it's great," said quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who spent two seasons in the California Community College Athletic Association before signing with the Cougars. "There's a lot of good stuff that was put in that lawsuit; I read up on it a little bit, and so hopefully we get that opportunity because there's definitely a difference in NCAA-sanctioned college football versus junior college football, which is non-NCAA sanctioned. So it's gonn be fun to see how that all works out.

"I know there are a bunch of guys on this team that fall under the category that got the year back, and so it'll be fun to see who we can get back, because there's a lot of key difference makers that fall into that category," he added. "We're excited to see what those guys want to do, and hopefully get some of them back and go from there."

The NCAA is also discussing a long-term change to its eligibility standards, according to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, which it sent in its memo to member schools.

The "comprehensive" review of eligibility would adjust each athletes' calendar to play in five seasons over a five-year span. Current eligibility allows athletes to play in four seasons over five years, with a redshirt season that includes up to four games in football.

The waiver and rule adjustment also comes at a time when programs are cutting down roster sizes in response to the House settlement, with football rosters set to be reduced from 125 to 105 roster spots. That has led to a steady stream of players to the transfer portal from across the country, including at BYU.

Like any other program, the Cougars have lost their share of players to the portal — including starting safety Crew Wakley. But they've also added to the roster in former Utah and UCLA tight end Carsen Ryan, who prepped at Timpview and American Fork; former Texas edge rusher Tausili Akana, who prepped at Skyridge; and former Michigan offensive tackle Andrew Gentry, a former four-star prospect who served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Orem.

Defensive coordinator Jay Hill praised the team's balance of the portal during game preparations for Saturday's Alamo Bowl against No. 23 Colorado (5:30 p.m. MST, ABC), saying the Cougars have done "a great job."

"You're going to lose guys every year with the way college football is now, but for the most part, our guys are still here," he said last week during bowl practices in Provo. "They're excited about the bowl game, about the matchup, and recruiting gets busy on the weekends for the coaches with official visits and stuff. But it's just one more thing we balance; it's not anything we haven't done before."

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