NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) 鈥� can tick off all the statistics Diego Pavia piled up leading the to their best season ever as the quarterback put himself all over the program’s record books.
Defining what Pavia means to the Commodores is much simpler.
鈥淭his guy deserves all the attention, all the credit, all the accolades that are coming his way because he has been such an important part of the heartbeat of our team,鈥� Lea said.
has gone from unrecruited out of high school to junior college, New Mexico State and finally Vanderbilt in 2024 through the transfer portal to become the first for the charter Southeastern Conference program.
Brash and confident to the point of cockiness, Pavia is the guy rival fans hate and begrudgingly respect while the Commodores and their faithful couldn鈥檛 love him more.
鈥淚 just feel like I鈥檓 a chip on the shoulder guy,鈥� Pavia said.
Generously listed as 6 feet tall, Pavia led Vanderbilt to its first ever 10-win season along with six SEC wins. That includes four wins over ranked programs, including three in the top 15 when the game was played, and a No. 9 ranking that was Vanderbilt’s highest in since 1937.
The two losses came on the road to ranked opponents.
Pavia made quite the impression on Texas coach Steve Sarkisian after a Sarkisian said Pavia has a knack for making plays at critical moments and deserves all the praise he gets.
鈥淥ne thing about playing quarterback, it鈥檚 not always about the passes you throw. It鈥檚 not always about the runs you made,鈥� Sarkisian said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about instilling belief in teammates, and instilling belief in your organization, and instilling belief in your fan base. Diego Pavia has done that for that program.鈥�
Cornerback Martel Hight said Pavia walked into Vanderbilt with so much confidence in himself that it spread 鈥渢hroughout the entire program.”
鈥淗e鈥檚 a dog,鈥� Hight said. “So I mean, just him having that dog mentality and nobody really trusting in him or believing in him.鈥�
Pavia ranks second nationally with 334.8 yards of total offense per game and third averaging 9.39 yards per pass attempt. He threw for 3,192 yards completing 71.2% of his passes and led the SEC with 27 touchdown passes. He also led Vanderbilt with 826 yards rushing and nine more TDs.
He became the first Vanderbilt player with at least 300 yards passing and at least 100 yards rushing in the same game with 377 yards passing and 112 yards rushing in a
Then he became the first SEC player since to throw for more than 250 yards and run for at least 150 in a Pavia threw for 268 yards and ran for a career-high 165 yards in that win.
鈥淒iego Pavia is a great quarterback, we knew that coming into this game,鈥� Tennessee linebacker Jeremiah Telander said.
This season, his impact went beyond the games themselves. Vanderbilt sold out six home games, hosted a rare visit from ESPN’s 鈥淐ollege GameDay鈥� and had people at games from comedian and podcaster Theo Von to actress, producer and writer Reese Witherspoon.
Pavia also has worked to ensure the Commodores can build on this season, helping Vanderbilt flip from his verbal commitment to Georgia. Curtis signed with the Commodores last week on National Signing Day.
Lea hopes that Pavia isn’t hurt in Heisman voting by Vanderbilt not playing in the Southeastern Conference title game or missing the College Football Playoff by a 鈥渞azor’s edge” margin. The Commodores finished 14th in the CFP final rankings.
鈥淪tatistically, he wins the award in my mind. Emotionally, he wins the award,鈥� Lea said. 鈥淚 mean this guy if you watch him particularly late in the season taking games over. He’s had the most complete season of any player at that position that I’m aware of. I mean just never once hit a wall, never once hit a lull.鈥�
Pavia hoped Heisman voters just looked at the stats.
鈥淣umbers speak for themselves and obviously the best player in the country goes off numbers and tape,鈥� Pavia said. 鈥淵ou go look at that. I feel the same way, and that’s not me being cocky or arrogant. I just feel like that’s point blank. I hope they see it that way.鈥�
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AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno contributed to this report from Austin, Texas.
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