Canadian defensive back Jett Elad has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to earn one more year of collegiate eligibility, as per Michael McCann of Sportico.com.
Elad transferred to Rutgers University in January where he is set to earn $500,000 in NIL (name, image, and likeness) funds in 2025. The decision to transfer came after Diego Pavia, a quarterback at Vanderbilt University, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and was granted an injunction.
Pavia’s lawsuit challenged the NCAA’s rule that years spent at the junior college level count against eligibility. As Elad spent the 2022 season at Garden City Community College, he believes he should regain that year of eligibility, just as Pavia has from his time at the New Mexico Military Institute.
Last year, Elad was a finalist for the Jon Cornish Trophy at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) where he recorded 84 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one interception, one sack, seven pass knockdowns, and one fumble recovery over 14 games. He was also named an All-Mountain West honourable mention at safety.
The native of Mississauga, Ont. started his collegiate career at Ohio University in 2019 where he redshirted with the Bobcats. He dressed for 12 games over the next two years, making 46 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and four pass knockdowns.
Elad dressed for 10 games at Garden City Community College in 2022, making 31 total tackles and one tackle for loss. In 2023, his first season at UNLV, he recorded 57 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, six pass knockdowns, and one fumble recovery.
The six-foot-one, 205-pound defender was originally the No. 11-ranked prospect on the 2025 CFL Draft scouting bureau rankings. Elad wasn’t featured on the subsequent rankings as the league granted his one-year deferral, pushing him to the 2026 CFL Draft.
Greg Schiano, the head coach at Rutgers, declined to comment on the lawsuit during a recent media availability but expressed hope that Elad would be on the team in 2025.
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