From Sideline Plea to School Record, Diego Pavia’s Passion Defines Vanderbilt’s Breakout Season, With CFP Chase Still Ongoing
PublishedNovember 22, 2025 8:02 PM EST•UpdatedNovember 22, 2025 8:04 PM EST
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Diego Pavia had already racked up 496 total yards for Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon against Kentucky, but he would need one final argument with head coach Clark Lea to set a school record.
If you are still on the ropes about at least inviting Pavia to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, I would urge you to watch his performance against Kentucky on Saturday.
“We’ve got one more game in Knoxville to send us to the Playoffs. We’ve got to go in there and do our thing,” Pavia said postgame about the regular season finale against Tennessee.
I’ve maintained that Pavia might be the most important player to his football team, right behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. After racking up 496 yards through just three quarters against the Wildcats, coach Clark Lea was ready to shut his star quarterback down for the game.
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What kind of case did Pavia make on the sidelines to reenter the game, needing only seventeen yards to break the Vanderbilt single-game passing record? I would have to imagine it included a few expletives, along with a little push from the assistant coaches for him to get his way.
It was actually fun to see Diego Pavia plead a good case, seeing that could be the last home game at Vanderbilt for the talented transfer quarterback who has helped lead his team to a 9-2 record heading into a monster showdown with Tennessee next weekend.
When that final pass was completed, Pavia once again put his name in the Commodores record books, and cemented his legacy in Nashville.
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Looking back, what he has done this season to help guide this team into the final weekend before the conference championship Saturday in contention for a playoff spot should not go unnoticed.
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I know there are a handful of players who should receive an invitation to New York, which include Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Love, but I’d be hard-pressed to find someone more important for the turnaround.
Three years ago, Vanderbilt was weighing if this Clark Lea experiment was going to work out in the long run, deciding to take a chance on the quarterback who turned heads while playing for New Mexico State.
It was at that moment that the trajectory of Commodores football changed, as they are also currently trending to flip 5-star quarterback Jared Curtis from Georgia.
NASHVILLE – Diego Pavia of the Vanderbilt Commodores drops back to pass during the first half of the game against the Auburn Tigers at FirstBank Stadium on November 8, 2025. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
I’ve seen a lot of players come and go in college football, but Diego Pavia has been the spark plug that turned Vanderbilt into a contender.
You might laugh, or at let out a chuckle, reading this, but if the ‘Dores defeat Tennessee next week in Knoxville, this Vanderbilt team will have a valid argument as to why it is a playoff team.
If Vandy can go into hostile territory after Thanksgiving and secure its tenth win of the season, not only should the Dores be one of the final teams arguing their case for the playoff, but Diego Pavia should have an invitation sent to his house for a Saturday night in the Big Apple.