How the Recent JC Ruling Could Impact Husky Football

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia sued and had his two-year football stop thrown out.

Always aggressive, UW cornerback Thaddeus Dixon (9) grabs onto an Oregon face mask. / Skylar Lin Visuals

In the ever-changing world of college football, Diego Pavia always will be known as the quarterback for have-not Vanderbilt who led a mighty upset of Alabama.

Even more impactful, he might be one of those guys who dramatically changed the way people approach the game, recruit for it and helped make it a lot older.

Pavia could become the new best friend for a host of University of Washington football players in senior cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, junior offensive tackle Maximus McCree, senior tight end Quentin Moore, junior defensive tackle Bryce Butler and senior safety Justin Harrington.

The clever and competitive 5-foot-10, 207-pound playmaking quarterback orginally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the player who went to a federal judge, got him to issue a ruling that made junior-college football irrelevant -- or more important than ever -- and walked away with another year of FBS eligibility.

In other words, Pavia opened the door for players everywhere to play JC ball and not have it count against their NCAA eligibility, with the judge ruling that the governing body's bylaws were too restrictive too uphold and violated anti-trust laws. As a result, the quarterback received a judgment that his two seasons at two-year New Mexico Military Institute -- located in Roswell, of all places, where aliens supposedly have a back history -- don't count against him.

What this means is players could turn to JC football and use it as a minor leagues of sort to become experienced at a level higher of football than high school and be ready to play four years at a four-year school with less risk than a schoolboy undersized and lacking confidence as a freshman reporting to campus.

On Monday, the NCAA provided some pushback by appealing the Pavia ruling while at the same time holding up a one-year waiver that could extend the careers of hundreds of ex-JC players, including those aforementioned Huskies.

That would include Dixon, McCree, Moore, Butler and Harrington -- all players with a JC background -- and who could stand to benefit by another UW season.

The news today: former JUCO players whose NCAA careers ended this season are granted an extra year. But are more eligibility rule changes on the way?

NCAA is exploring granting athletes *5* playing seasons (not 4) over 5 years, sources tell @YahooSportshttps://t.co/vgycCAC7no

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 23, 2024

The 6-foot-192-pound Dixon played at California's Long Beach City College in 2021 and 2022, with his recruitment hurt by the COVID pandemic. Already an NFL prospect, he might be able to play another year with the Huskies to increase his pro football stock, should the bylaws change.

Max McCree pass protects against Northwestern. / Skylar Lin Visuals

The 6-foot-6, 295-pound McCree spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons playing for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and already had one of those years wiped away from his college football eligibility because of COVID. With one year of Husky football remaining, a positive ruling could extend him through 2026 in Montlake.

Moore, whose senior season as the UW starter at tight end was wiped out by a knee injury in the opener against Weber State, is expected to return for a fifth year with the Huskies in 2025, using a medical redshirt. He played the 2019 season for Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas, which theoretically would give the 6-foot-4, 257-pound player yet another season of college ball in Seattle.

Butler, a 6-foot-5, 312-pound Canadian, played the 2022 and 2023 seasons for Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, transferred to the UW and has been limited to three games this season by injury and other factors, which means he has redshirted. Yet if one year of his JC service is tossed out, he essentially could have three more seasons with the Huskies.

Justin Harrington makes a special-teams tackle for the UW. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Finally, there's Harrington, an Oklahoma transfer and a seventh-year player who has appeared in eight UW games this season, almost exclusively as a special-teamer. His background lists him as playing the 2018 and 2019 seasons for Bakersfield College, a two-year school in California. While his well-worn body might be telling him he's done, and the Husky coaching staff might second that notion, he effectively could have more eligibility, too.

Meantime, Paivo, who played two years of JC ball and two more for New Mexico State, will return to Vanderbilt for the 2025 season and maybe beyond, daring the NCAA to try and stop him. After all, Alabama couldn't beat him.

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