Diego Pavia Becomes Vanderbilt Royalty in First Season

© Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Diego Pavia has been the leader on and off the field that No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) needed to reach another level in the SEC. Sure, Pavia, the Commodores' starting quarterback, put his team on his back in a shocking 40-35 victory at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., over then No. 1-ranked Alabama (5-2, 2-2) on Oct. 5. But his statistics have been nothing short of spectacular.

Diego Pavia Puts Up Numbers

For starters, entering Vanderbilt's home game on Oct. 26 against the No. 5-ranked Texas Longhorns (6-1, 2-1), Pavia ranks seventh in the SEC with 470 yards rushing, making him the top rusher at Vanderbilt. It's the most rushing yards among SEC quarterbacks, too. Pavia currently ranks 12th among FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency (164.4) and is 19th in yards per completion (13.6).

Pavia has shown an ability to lead the Vanderbilt offensive charge with his arm and legs. It's been a welcome sight to Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea. Lea brought Pavia and offensive coordinator Tim Beck to the Commodores from New Mexico State. Pavia left after Jerry Kill, who coached him at the Las Cruces. N.M., school, retired. Kill, though, was coaxed out of retirement to be an analyst for Lea this season.

With Pavia, Beck and Kill on board, the Commodores have had incredible success. Oh yes, Vanderbilt, unless there's a total collapse, will find itself in a bowl game later this season. This is quite a turnaround for a football program that, well, has been one of the SEC's laughing stocks in recent years.

What type of outlook has Pavia had on his play this season? He offered a pretty grounded answer recently. "Me being here (at Vandy), it wouldn't have happened if I didn't know Christ and if I didn't start taking my journey and things like that seriously," Pavia said in an interview with Sports Spectrum. "I couldn't go straight to the SEC, because I wouldn't have known God."

In his post-game exuberance after beating Alabama, SEC Network's live microphone caught Pavia cursing in an interview. He has been apologizing for his outburst ever since.

When asked about Pavia's potential future as an NFL quarterback, Lea didn't hold back his effusive praise for his signal-caller.

“All I can say is that he’s efficient with the ball, he knows how to find the matchups,” Lea said on Oct. 17, On3 reported. “He’s a football-smart guy so, you know, again, it’s not just about simple reads. I mean, he sees the full field. I don’t know a coach in the world that wouldn’t want that mentality and that competitive makeup in their locker room—no matter the sport.”

Vanderbilt QB Runs Offense

At 6-foot, 207 pounds, Pavia, a senior, more than holds his own in leading the Vanderbilt offense. He's totaled 1,391 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and 1 interception through seven games. Pavia's go-to player is tight end Eli Stowers. He had 8 catches for 130 yards in the Commodores' 24-14 victory over Ball State (2-5, 1-2 Mid-America Conference) on Oct. 19.

“The quarterback is a heck of a player,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said at his weekly press conference in Austin, Texas on Oct. 21. “He definitely is the straw that stirs the drink for them in the run game and in the pass game. He’s definitely infused a competitive, winning mentality into that team.”

Speaking of Pavia's time at New Mexico State, he led the Aggies to 10 wins last season. He landed his name among the top quarterbacks in the FBS in passing touchdowns, points, passing yards per attempt and passing efficiency. Just this week, Pavia's name was added to the Manning Award and Davey O'Brien Award watch lists.

In the Ball State victory, though, Pavia was not as sharp as when he led Vanderbilt over the Crimson Tide. Still, Sarkisian and Texas, led by starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, know they will face a formidable offensive threat.

As for Lea, he's going to do his best to make sure Pavia is put in situations for success. “You know, I’m excited for him to finish out the season the way I know he can and then really excited to help push him for that opportunity,” Lea said.. “If I know one thing about Diego, it’s, if he gets the opportunity, he’s going to seize it and run with it. I’m looking forward to that for him.”