Diego Pavia Knows What You Might Say About Him, But He Won't Stop Being Himself.

It’s nearly impossible to back up everything Pavia has said since his arrival at Vanderbilt a summer ago, but he and his teammates will certainly give it a shot. They'll look to avoid an off Saturday in order to find a way to extend their national title hopes to January. Maybe they can even own the Tennessee rivalry like he said they would in front of the whole country.

Even if he can’t fulfill his declarations, the Vanderbilt quarterback won’t regret it. Pavia says he has no regrets in life and “doesn’t regret anything” he does. That’s not the way he—or his family—live. They live freely and unafraid of the consequences of their confidence or lifestyle choices, but with faith in mind.

Pavia knows that his tendency to live without fear of backlash or negative public opinion has the potential to unintentionally add a target on the backs of his teammates. As the New Mexico native has gone from JUCO standout to being a figure that media members seemingly mobbed everywhere he went at SEC Media Days, he’s learned that his words carry more weight than they used to and that he has to be more deliberate than what was required of him in the past. Even if he's willing to back up whatever he says. 

With that comes a balance that was evident as the Vanderbilt quarterback walked into the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday and appeared to dodge bait that would throw him in an unnecessary spotlight. Pavia’s press conference wasn’t the buttoned up, straight-laced affair that other SEC quarterbacks put together, though. 

There was still mention of how Kentucky was the best trash talking team he faced. Pavia still yelled across the room at Vanderbilt STAR Randon Fontenette and told him to shut up, but then immediately clarified he was just kidding. There was still a level of confidence and flair that didn’t go away because of some media training. 

How does that flair balance out with deliberateness? Where is the line? What has to go unsaid in order to protect teammates? How are you unapoligetically yourself without being selfish?

“That's a good question, I don't know,” Pavia said. “I just feel like I've grown up this way. 
I've never changed who I am or what I do and so people who really know me know that I'm a good guy at heart and that I care for people. That’s really my biggest attribute, I think.”

Perhaps that’s been misconstrued to those who only know Pavia from afar and that’s a reason for him to choose his words carefully while surrounded by swarms of media. Pavia’s also got a future to think of, which he says Vanderbilt’s coaching staff reminds him of. The outside observer in the room could be offput by hearing it, but Pavia and Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea believe that Vanderbilt's undersized quarterback has a long, successful NFL career ahead of him despite him finishing 11th in the SEC in passing yards.

Those close to Pavia urge you to look beyond just that stat, though. In order to know Pavia for the impact he makes, you have to know what makes him stand out. It's not Josh Allen-esque armstrength or speed reminiscent of Michael Vick. It's his endless supply of confidence and his willingness to lead Vanderbilt towards the high-swinging goals that he feels are attainable.

The Vanderbilt staff often reminds Pavia of their belief in the future of the team that he’s the leader of a team with a very specific goal and that the last thing he wants to do is jeopardize that goal. 

“I don't need Diego to be anything other than who he is,” Lea said. “Now, we have conversations about how in his role there are ways from an external standpoint that he can be supportive of our mission and there are ways sometimes where we cross lines that kind of undercut the mission.”

“He needs to be himself. He needs to understand how to support the mission.”

Lea wants Pavia to choose his words deliberately like he does as Vanderbilt’s head coach, but knows that stripping Pavia of the attitude that carried him through his first season at Vanderbilt would be counterintuitive, just like a conversation surrounding self preservation would be for the quarterback that plays the game as if he won’t get the opportunity to again. 

Doing so would also take away an element of his leadership that helped to propel Vanderbilt to its first bowl-eligible season in Lea’s tenure. Pavia’s teammates want all of Pavia, not a watered-down version of him. 

“People love Diego for who he is,” Vanderbilt two-way player Martel Hight said. “There’s never jealousy from any of our team guys. Our brotherhood at Vanderbilt is strong. That’s one thing we harp down on. Just seeing him on that pedestal ignites us, it makes us happy.” 

As for Pavia himself, he doesn’t mind the extra eyeballs and expectations that he’s placed on himself. It's too late to change his personality and public-facing attitude, so he may as well embrace it and all that comes with it.  

Nobody expected him to be here in the first place. Why would they believe in what he’s saying now? Pavia has intentionally created an expectation for himself that very few believe he can fulfill. Up to this point he's done it, though. So, why not market his second act as if it will be better than his first as the Vanderbilt quarterback.

“I like putting that pressure on myself,” Pavia said, “It builds diamonds.”

If Pavia couldn’t respond to pressure that he’s put on himself, he wouldn’t be here. If he didn’t have the ambition to do that then he likely wouldn’t be, either. He is, though.

The only way you make it to the SEC as an undersized quarterback from New Mexico with a wrestler’s build is if you have an “it” factor that allows you to defy what others perceive to be reality. You have to have self belief so great that you believe you can do whatever you set your mind to, even if nobody has done it before. 

That’s why Diego Pavia is here. That’s why he doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. 

“I feel that way, that you sometimes I talk the talk, but I also will walk the walk,” Pavia said. “So, I got to get it done this year.”