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Diego Pavia opens up on Heisman buzz vs Tennessee; makes perfect MVP case - Watch
Diego Pavia struck the Heisman pose after scoring a touchdown against Tennessee on Saturday
Diego Pavia has made his feelings clear. It's Heisman or nothing. The Vanderbilt QB on Saturday struck the perfect post against Tennessee, extending his team's lead to double digits with a brilliant 24-yard touchdown run.
Vanderbilt surged to a 9-2 record behind Pavia’s playmaking, climbing to a top-10 ranking for the first time in generations. And on Saturday, as the Commodores held a late lead over Tennessee, their quarterback once again delivered the kind of performance that has kept his name in the national conversation.
Pavia has been electric all afternoon, piling up more than 250 passing yards and a touchdown through the air while rushing for over 150 yards and another score. His only low points: two interceptions that did little to dull the impact of his overall performance.
It was in the third quarter that Pavia broke free for a 24-yard touchdown run. As he crossed the goal line, the QB struck the Heisman pose, something he’s done before this season, a gesture fans have latched onto as his legend grows.
Soon after his TD, social media was filled with arguments that Pavia deserves not only a trip to New York but a serious shot at winning the trophy.
“He’s like 30 out there playing against 18-year-olds,” one fan joked on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
Another insisted, “Diego Pavia shouldn’t just be at the ceremony; he should win it.” A third fan went further, calling him college football’s most valuable player, arguing that Vanderbilt would be lost without its No. 2 and that he has “changed the future of the program.”
Still, Pavia remains a long shot. His turnover issues and his standing among the nation’s most efficient passers trail behind quarterbacks such as Julian Sayin and Fernando Mendoza. Those statistical shortcomings are hard to ignore for voters who traditionally prioritize clean numbers.
Yet what Pavia lacks in efficiency, he has compensated for in sheer impact. His dual-threat explosiveness has transformed Vanderbilt’s offense and elevated the Commodores into territory few outside Nashville thought possible.
