This lawsuit is the speartip of the eventual singularity for all this NIL / pay-for-play college football. At some point, all the economic arguments about "preventing people from freely selling their skills" and "I should be able to enter an agreement to play with whoever I want in exchange for payment" collides headlong with the idea of there being any sort of "eligibility" rules. Because if schools can have ANY sort of eligibility rules, then it stands to reason they should be able to have ALL the eligibility rules, including the old transfer and amateur status rules. If schools can determine one's eligibility then that power should be completely in their hands. And if the belief is they should not have that power, then there really should be no restrictions. Full commercial pay for play.
And I have to say, on an ethical level, I find the argument convincing. If it's just a job then why shouldn't Pavia get a seventh year? Or an eighth year? Or more? Awful for the sport itself, to the point of rendering everything about the idea of "college" football laughably idiotic, but still - if they're just people working at a job, why should anything be able to prevent them from working and being compensated? If it's just a job, then it's just a job.
Again, horrible for "college football," but no one running or leading "college football" seems to care about that anyway. So. You've made this bed. Time to lie on it.