Who says the offseason is all dull and grey? Thanks to the transfer portal. College football fans are always left on the edge of their seats. Out of the many players hitting the ‘TRANSFER’ button, the focus is now on Oregon Duck’s offensive lineman George Silva. The 305-lb giant is gearing up for 2025 and now plans to make the most out of his sixth year of eligibility post the Diego Pavia waiver. Meanwhile, there is some serious transformation going on in Dan Lanning’s hood.

The Ducks got lucky in adding three big-time transfer portal players. Offensive linemen trio-  Emmanuel Pregnon (USC), Isaiah World (Nevada), and Alex Harkey (Texas State) as part of their 2025 class. But at the same time, the college football powerhouse will be losing a key contributor to the portal for the next season. And that’s Silva, the No. 1 offensive tackle JUCO prospect in 2023. The athlete appeared in 13 games for the Ducks over the last two seasons. It has been almost two years since Silva enrolled at Lanning’s squad in March 2023. The La Habra, California, native was rated the No. 3 JUCO player overall by 247Sports.

Over the past two seasons with the Ducks, Silva played mostly at right tackle in 2024. Last season, he came up with 30 snaps, and 81 snaps in 2023, including 51 at left tackle. Well, previously the athlete had shared his intentions to return to Oregon prior to the Rose Bowl.  “If I can come back, I will come back for sure because I thought this was going to be my last year. If I can get another year that’ll be a blessing for me,” stated the offensive lineman back in December. 

Silva still had two years of eligibility remaining when he got to Eugene after spending three seasons at Fullerton College. However, the OL got an extra season coming off as a result of a blanket waiver by the NCAA followed by the landmark ruling of Pavia’s lawsuit. And what was it all about?

George Silva enjoys the sweet fruits of Diego Pavia’s waiver

Even though George Silva considered it to be a blessing to make a U-turn to Oregon hood, he is now all set for a new journey. And we cannot keep Diego Pavia’s fight for eligibility out of this equation. Pavia started his career at the JUCO level for two years at the New Mexico Military Institute. Out of his three years spent at college football, he spent two years at New Mexico and the rest with the Commodores. But the athlete had a different take on the eligibility rulings and demanded that his years at JUCO should not be counted. 

That’s when he got the support of Judge William Campbell. He granted a preliminary injunction that opened the doors for Pavia to make a return to Vanderbilt in 2025. Since the decision came post a week after the transfer portal opened its gates, Pavia also cited the issue claiming to need more time.  

The NCAA then followed suit, announcing a blanket waiver. As per the latest developments, the players who attended non-NCAA schools for at least a year and who have eligibility left can now compete in 2025-2026. Now with this, Silva gets the green pass to suit up. And although Pavia refuses to explore the transfer portal, a new journey awaits for Silva. Will it be better than his Oregon chapter?