Overview

• The three-judge panel tossed the NCAA’s challenge to a preliminary injunction after concluding a waiver guaranteed Pavia’s 2025 eligibility.
• The ruling leaves the district-court lawsuit intact and does not address the antitrust merits of the NCAA’s eligibility limits.
• The NCAA’s waiver extends eligibility through 2025–26 for athletes who began in 2020 or 2021 and played at least one JUCO season, though it does not cover future classes.
• Concurring opinions urged lawmakers to set national rules, as Congress weighs competing proposals such as the SCORE Act and the SAFE Act.
• The NCAA maintains its eligibility rules comply with antitrust law, while Pavia continues to play for No. 16 Vanderbilt, which is 5–0.