USC Trojans' DeCarlos Nicholson Fighting NCAA for Extra Season of Eligibility

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was recently granted an extra season of eligibility by a Tennessee federal judge because of his time spent playing at the junior college level and USC Trojans cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson is fighting for the same right.

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson (17) warms cup before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was granted a preliminary injunction by a federal judge in Tennessee on Wednesday that will give him another season of eligibility, and USC Trojans cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson is fighting for the same rights. Pavia filed a lawsuit against the NCAA last month, arguing that his time spent at a junior college should not count against his NCAA clock because junior colleges are not under the NCAA's jurisdiction. 

“I’m searching for the best lawyer who can help me get this extra season of eligibility! (Played the same two seasons of junior college as Diego Pavia),” Nicholson wrote on social media.

I’m searching for the best lawyer who can help me get this extra season of eligibility! (Played the same two seasons of junior college as Diego Pavia)

— DeCarlos Nicholson (@Dee2nich) December 20, 2024

Pavia states the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by preventing him from capitalizing on NIL opportunities and the court ruled in his favor. The NCAA gives student-athletes five years to complete four seasons. Similar to Pavia, the 2020 season did not count against his eligibility because of the COVID waiver given to all student-athletes, but Nicholson did exhaust a year of eligibility playing at the junior college level in 2021.

The ruling made by Judge William Campbell is not final, and the NCAA will be able to challenge the court’s injunction, but at the moment it does prevent them from keeping Paiava out of college for another season until the matter is resolved. And because the ruling only applies to Pavia in this specific case, a door has been opened for Nicholson to file the same exact type of lawsuit. 

Nicholson, who was a quarterback at Petal (MS) High School, made the switch to cornerback at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as a sophomore. He gained interest from multiple Power Four programs after a phenomenal sophomore campaign, registering 19 tackles, including two or loss, and 16 PBUs in 2021. He was ranked as the No. 6 junior college prospect, according to 247Sports and signed with Mississippi State in the 2022 cycle. 

Nicholson appeared in 25 games, including seven starts over two seasons with the Bulldogs before transferring to USC in 2024. He appeared in all 12 games this season, including three starts. 

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Unless something changes, in addition to losing to Nicholson, the Trojans are set lose cornerbacks Jaylin Smith, Jacobe Covington, Greedy Vance and John Humphrey. All four are out of eligibility.

USC signed former San Jose State cornerback DJ Harvey out of the transfer portal to fill the void. Safeties Akili Arnold and Bryson Shaw are also out of eligibility and Zion Branch entered the transfer portal, leaving Kamari Ramsey as the only defensive back that played a significant role returning in 2025. 

Redshirt freshman cornerback Maliki Crawford will return next season after suffering a season-ending injury in fall camp. Crawford was ranked as the No. 17 cornerback and No. 171 overall prospect, according to 247Sports. Similar to Nicholson, the Oxnard, CA native has excellent length position, standing at 6-4. 

The Trojans signed three cornerbacks in the 2024 recruiting cycle in four-stars Marcelles Williams, Isaiah Rubin and three-star Braylan Conley. USC also signed two cornerbacks in the 2025 recruiting cycle, four-star Trestin Castro and three-star James Johnson. Outside of Harvey, they will be very young at cornerback heading into spring practice and will definitely be a competition to keep an eye on. 

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