Ad Disclosure
Alabama LB Justin Jefferson officially announces return for 2025 season
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson is one of the beneficiaries of a new NCAA waiver stating that current JUCO transfers would have another year of eligibility. On Saturday, he announced his official return to the program for the final season of his college career.
Jefferson posted the news to his Instagram account:
“Without this legislation, I would not be able to continue playing the game I love at the University I love,” he wrote. “Alabama is a special place for me, and I cannot wait to return for the 2025 season.”
Jefferson, who spent 2021 and 2022 in the junior college ranks, transferred to Alabama in 2023. After playing a light role in his first season in Tuscaloosa, he totaled 60 tackles. 7.0 tackles for a loss, and 2.0 sacks in 2024.
Under previous NCAA rules, 2024 would have been his final year of eligibility. However, due in part to a challenge of that ruling by Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia — who spent 2 seasons in JUCO before transferring to New Mexico State and then Vandy — the NCAA granted a waiver giving him and student-athletes in similar situations a final year.
However, it will appeal a ruling made by a Tennessee court in favor of Pavia that led to the waiver, which (for now) will be in effect solely for the 2025-26 academic year.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
