Diego Pavia no Longer has to be Heisman or Superman, He Just Has to Be Diego

NASHVILLE—Two silver chains, a similarly blinged-out bracelet and wired earbuds that were in for style rather than practicality as he stepped to the podium in his postgame press conference. That’s the look of stardom these days for Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. 

Between the effusive praise of Vanderbilt backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz and the jokes regarding his hope for a response from Tate McRae is a moment that indicates that Pavia is still as grounded as he’s ever been. 

Perhaps the Vanderbilt quarterback would’ve answered a question about Vanderbilt’s supposed revenge game and win over Georgia State with a word about the feeling of get back or the extra motivation he experienced throughout the week as a result of it. A more mature Pavia stood behind the podium and spoke about life, though. 

“I always think that whoever you play, there’s always gonna be one kid who that’s his last game seeing you,” Pavia said. “I don’t come from a lot of money, so going to one game was my only impression of [players], so I just want to be the best version of me for those kids who can only come to one game.” 

Had a kid in the stands only been able to see Pavia on Saturday night, they would’ve seen him complete 18 of his 24 passing attempts for 245 yards and rush for 86 yards on 18 carries in Vanderbilt’s eventual 70-21 win over Georgia State. They would’ve seen him command Vanderbilt to its first 70-point outing since 1918 and eclipse 4,000 yards in his Vanderbilt career. 

Perhaps Pavia’s performance wasn’t as exciting as the ones that he became a winner in this time last year, though. The Vanderbilt quarterback is never boring, he’s incapable of that. But, he wasn’t Superman on Saturday night like he’s often had to be throughout his Vanderbilt career. 

Seeing Pavia run around and find a receiver after dodging a few defenders in the backfield may have given a kid in the stands an unforgettable memory. It’s not the way that this Vanderbilt team envisions winning, though. 

A ‘game manager’ title being placed on a quarterback has always been a backhanded slight to his abilities. It’s diminished his playmaking ability and has forced him into an unnecessary box. Pavia never appeared to have the luxury of managing a game, though. He always had to be the proverbial score-first guard. He could never just be a distributor. 

“He’s fun to watch, I’ll tell you what,” former Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler told Vandy on SI. “I’m not sure how he makes it out in some of these games with the hits he takes, but he’s a competitor and that’s what this team needs.” 

This feels different for the Vanderbilt quarterback, though. This feels more sustainable. It doesn’t feel as if he’s getting popped all that often, at least not as often as he did in 2024. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea jokes that he still hasn’t coached the lead blocking out of Pavia on reverse plays, the truth is he likely never will. The Vanderbilt quarterback has more leeway to pick his spots to be physical nowadays, though. 

“We want to take hits off of him,” Lea said. “He’s a critical part of our team and our performance and we have more plays designed where he hands the ball off, we have more plays where he’s gonna be able to get the ball out in space to someone who’s really talented.”

Vanderbilt added two weapons with significant run after the catch ability in Tre Richardson and Martel Hight to work with as well as a more explosive run game on the back of Sedrick Alexander and MK Young. Its biggest contribution to Pavia’s success is what it added up front, though. 

Lea was intentional about adding to his offensive line throughout the winter and spring transfer portal windows, the result of his intentionality and spending is three starters that have made a difference for this Vanderbilt team. Liberty transfer Jordan White, Oklahoma State transfer Isaia Glass and South Dakota transfer Bryce Henderson have given Pavia a nearly unfamiliar pocket to work with on a consistent basis. 

“Sometimes I get happy feet in the pocket,” Pavia said. “I’m not used to having that much time in the pocket, I’m not used to having that. Shoutout to the Union. Coach [Klenakis] does a fine job and he’s the best offensive line coach in the country.” 

Pavia will never be a true game manager. It’s not his game or how he believes he can be effective. He took a hit that upended him in a 49-point win on Saturday. 

He’s never had the flexibility to try anything else, though. This is all he’s known. He’s always been Superman. He’s always had to be. 

Perhaps he can just be Diego now, though.