Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia earns ownership stake with NIL partnership

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is one of the most polarizing athletes in college sports today - successfully suing the NCAA to earn an extra year of eligibility - after his breakout first season a year ago with the Commodores, where he led a historic upset of then-No. 1 Alabama.

The star of Netflix's SEC docuseries "Any Given Saturday" clearly has his own playbook for how he shows up on and off the field and his latest NIL partnership is another example of operating differently than the rest.

While most NIL deals today are transactional - payment for social media or marketing support - Pavia's partnership with modern menswear brand Blanco Clothing is anything but ordinary. Pavia joins the brand's roster of equity partners that includes two-time Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola, actor Ryan Phillippe and musician Deacon Phillippe, among others.

Pavia and the Los Angeles-based brand - positioned as "country club attire to the public domain" - revealed their new relationship in the weeks leading up to the 2025 college football season, with the reigning Associated Press and SEC Newcomer of the Year starring alongside Amendola in a new campaign shot at the iconic Pelican Hill golf course.

“There’s something about golf that pulls the best out of people - focus, humility, precision, and a sense of self,” Pavia said. “Blanco feels like an extension of that.”