SEC Announces Diego Pavia News on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Dec 10, 2025 6:12 PM ET

The 2025 college football regular season has concluded, and it is now time for the postseason. One team coming off a historic season is the No. 14 Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Commodores are in the midst of a remarkable 10-2 season, which marks the first time in the program's history that they have achieved a double-digit win season. This successful year follows a 7-6 season last year, their best performance since 2013. Leading the team in both seasons was quarterback Diego Pavia.

Pavia passed for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing 71.2% of his attempts. He also rushed for 826 yards and scored nine touchdowns. His impressive performance has earned him a spot as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. If he wins, he will be the first player from Vanderbilt to receive this prestigious award.

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) scrambles.© Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Before Pavia discovers whether he is this year's Heisman winner, he has received a significant honor from the SEC . On Wednesday, it was announced that Pavia has been named the SEC Player of the Year, while his coach, Clark Lea, has been recognized as the SEC Coach of the Year. This recognition follows Pavia's selection as a first-team All-SEC player.

SEC announces 2025 football postseason individual award winners

Diego Pavia: Player of the Year
Clark Lea: Coach of the Year https://t.co/8w0AKhihU6
— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) December 10, 2025

As Vanderbilt heads into the postseason, the accolades only reinforce how far the program has come and how high its ceiling now appears. With Pavia leading the way and Lea steering a confident, surging roster, the Commodores are positioned for a future that once felt unreachable. The next step is proving that this season wasn’t a breakthrough, but a beginning.

Pavia and Vanderbilt will take on the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at noon ET on ESPN.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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