Lobos in limbo as players wait to hear about extra eligibility
With the sun streaking across University Stadium’s turf, James Laubstein went through the workout as if it was any other. Sporting sunglasses and a white hoodie, New Mexico’s 6-foot-3, 211-pound backup quarterback dropped back and ripped passes to receivers as part of the program’s annual pro day Monday morning. Scouts from 15 NFL teams watched him from the sidelines of his home stadium, took notes and evaluated him as a professional prospect, a rite of passage for hundreds of players who have run out of eligibility.
Despite that, Laubstein made one thing clear when he walked off the field: He wouldn’t mind throwing a few more passes in University Stadium this fall. Laubstein is one of a handful of Lobos trying to secure an extra year of eligibility, albeit through slightly different methods and arguments. Some have looked to secure a waiver directly from the NCAA.
Others are involved in active litigation, attached to suits invoking a former NBA Draft selection’s return to college basketball. All, however, are still waiting to hear what might happen next. And few events have made that state of limbo — preparing for the pros while still holding out for another year — clearer than Monday’s proceedings.
“I don’t try to worry about it too much. Obviously, it’s in the back of my head at all times,” Laubstein admitted. “But this (pro day) was a definite thing that was gonna happen.
” A hard-nosed, run-first quarterback who blossomed into a fan favorite, Laubstein appeared in nine games his redshirt senior season last year, seemingly exhausting his remaining eligibility. But after spending two seasons at Sussex County Community College — a two-year junior college in Newton, New Jersey — Laubstein contends at least one of those JUCO years shouldn’t count towards his eligibility. The argument, of course, has precedent: Vanderbilt quarterback and Albuquerque native Diego Pavia sued the NCAA in federal court in November 2024, requesting an injunction that would grant him two more years of eligibility over the organization’s bylaws regarding junior college player limits.