On Friday, Dec. 12, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia spoke at the first Heisman Trophy media availability of the weekend. Pavia, alongside fellow finalists Fernando Mendoza, Julian Sayin and Jeremiyah Love, each individually answered questions about their path to the Heisman, their seasons and their outlook on potentially winning the award.  

Pavia enters this weekend second in the odds (+900) only behind Mendoza (-1800), but Pavia certainly has self-belief that he can win college football’s most prestigious award. 

“I feel like if just you turn on the tape, you look at the numbers, I feel like I’m the best,” Pavia said at the media availability. 

A whole cast of his fellow players will be joining him for the ceremony tomorrow as well, including his entire offensive line and running backs Sedrick Alexander and MK Young. The players that have meant the most to him this year will be supporting the star quarterback in the Lincoln Center on Saturday night. 

“The [offensive] line comes here tomorrow,” Pavia said. “MK is coming here tomorrow just to support me. So, I think the tight knit [nature] of [this] team is so awesome.” 

Pavia, among other topics, spent time reflecting upon what this season has meant to both himself and Vanderbilt as a whole. With a victory on the road at rival Tennessee, Vanderbilt eclipsed the 10-win mark for the first time in program history.  

“I think it means a lot to the university, and then also to my teammates,” Pavia said. “The tight knit [nature] of the team is so awesome, and I think it is going to carry on for the rest of the time Coach Lea’s here.” 

Head coach Clark Lea, who is also in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, has been pivotal to the success of Pavia this year. Between the continuous climb of the Commodores and the performance of this year’s team, Lea has also signed a multi-year extension that binds him with Vanderbilt for the foreseeable future. 

“[Coach Lea] has been there to guide me when I towed the line or crossed the line. He was there to put me back on track,” Pavia said. “He’s one of the smartest human beings I’ve ever met in my life. He’s truly a great person and he’s a person that I want to be like when I’m older from a father-figure perspective.” 

Even with a 10-2 record, Vanderbilt’s improbable year fell short of the College Football Playoff (CFP), as the Commodores finished at No. 14 in the final CFP poll.

“It’s special for sure,” Pavia said. “I kind of want this whole team to be remembered, and that’s why I wanted to get into the playoffs so bad.” 

Regardless, with Pavia’s final game as a college player slated for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Iowa, the graduate signal caller reiterated his gratitude for Vanderbilt University and its football program. 

“I’m super thankful for the university because it took me in. Obviously, I’m not perfect,” Pavia said. “They took me in for who I am, let me be who I am, and eventually, we’re 10-2.” 

Pavia’s journey to the Heisman Ceremony was a full team effort, but his individual performances up to this point must be praised. His journey to New York has been filled with adversity. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, not a place known for top-tier football talent. He had zero Division I offers coming out of high school, so he enrolled at New Mexico Military Institute, where he could play the game he loves — Pavia is just the fourth-ever Heisman Finalist to have played at a Junior College (JUCO). 

“God gives you a dream, and you chase it until you can’t,” Pavia said. “That’s what I did to get here — I had to walk onto a JUCO team and work my way.” 

He thrived with the Broncos and led his squad to the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship in 2021. He then transferred to New Mexico State — a team that had won eight games in the five years before he arrived — and led them to two bowl games and 17 wins in his two seasons as an Aggie. It was there that his grittiness and swagger started to gain attention and were a big selling point for teams recruiting him in the transfer portal in 2024, including Vanderbilt. 

“I get told that I’m cocky, but I feel that I’m just a confident person,” Pavia said. “I believe in my team and the people around me. 

He thrived in his first season at Vanderbilt in 2024 and took many people by surprise as his dual-threat ability, helping lead the Commodores to upset victories over Virginia Tech and then-No. 1 Alabama. 

“I believe in myself,” Pavia said. The SEC is the greatest division in [collegiate] sports, and I always wanted to play in it.” 

Vanderbilt went 7-6 in the 2024 campaign, but Pavia aspired to do much better — both personally and as a team. Over the offseason, he worked hard at improving his throwing mechanics, and it showed; he led all Power Four quarterbacks with 4018 all-purpose yards in 2025. 

“I feel like I’m a lot better than last year, and it came with a lot of [personal] growth,” Pavia said. 

The result of his hard work was being named as one of the four finalists for college football’s highest honor. Still, Pavia dreams of continuing his football career, entering the professional ranks after this season, where he will once again be an underdog and look to prove himself another time. 

“My dedication in life is football,” Pavia said. “I am here to win — I want to go to the NFL and win Super Bowls.” 

Pavia certainly has the self-belief to win the Heisman — but his stats also back it up. The graduate student has accumulated the most total yards of this year’s Heisman finalist, and he ranks No. 5 in QBR and No. 2 in EPA in all of college football. Vanderbilt fans will have to wait and see if the voters agreed, though, as Pavia looks to be the first ever Heisman winner from Vanderbilt. 

Pavia will see if his name is called as the Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday night. The ceremony will air on ABC at 6 p.m. CST.