On Dec. 18, a breakthrough came through in the NCAA when a federal judge granted an injunction that allowed Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia another year of college eligibility.
Pavia sued the NCAA last month, claiming that his junior college experience (he played two years at a junior college in New Mexico) shouldn’t count towards his overall years of eligibility. He claimed that it was a violation of antitrust law that was unfairly limiting his ability to make money from his name, image and likeness.
This ruling could have massive implications on college athletics, as now players can theoretically contest junior college years counting towards eligibility like Pavia.
Georgia’s Colbie Young could be one of those players. Similar to Pavia, Young transferred to Georgia with one year of eligibility, but he started his collegiate career with one year at Lackawanna College, a junior college. He then played two seasons for the Miami Hurricanes before transferring to Georgia.
With Georgia, Young played five games before his indefinite suspension from the team following his arrest in October. He’s doubtful to play in the Sugar Bowl due to his awaiting trial.
Considering Georgia is currently on the hunt for wide receivers in the transfer portal, getting Colbie Young back for another year could be a benefit to the receiving core. Young could also transfer again to another receiver-needy team.
Young is one of many players in Georgia’s history to attend junior college before becoming a Bulldog. Devonte Wyatt started at Hutchinson CC before playing with the Bulldogs and becoming first-round NFL draft selection. Javon Wims is another UGA player that attended JUCO and was drafted in the NFL.
Of course, Stetson Bennett, who left Georgia in 2017, spent a year at community college in 2018, then came back to the Bulldogs in 2019, leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles. If this ruling were a few years earlier, then he could’ve had another year of eligibility at Georgia and potentially led the Bulldogs to a three-peat in 2023.
This ruling could also impact recruits for Georgia. JUCO prospect Seven Cloud recently committed to Georgia as a member of the 2026 recruiting class. This ruling would make JUCO recruits more valuable in the long run.
