Diego Pavia is a name that more are familiar with after week one than before it. The former New Mexico State Aggies quarterback followed his former head coach Jerry Kill and former offensive coordinator Tim Beck over to Nashville in 2024 to play for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
After a stiff quarterback competition in fall camp between Pavia and Utah transfer Nate Johnson, Pavia received the nod in game one against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Although Johnson started three games at power four Utah as a redshirt freshman 2023, Pavia’s experience with Beck’s offense and positive fall camp propelled him to get the starting job for the Commodores in game one of 2024.
Against the Hokies, Pavia went 12-for-16 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns while running for another 104 and one touchdown on the ground. Pavia’s dual-threat ability and obvious grit and leadership on the field has him as the center of attention in the eyes of many after week one. Even before the game, Hokies head coach Brent Pry compared him to a former quarterback of his at Penn State, Trace McSorley who had an outstanding college career.
Pavia, however, used this comparison as motivation and showed on the field that in the eyes of many he is not McSorley, but could be even better.
What former SEC quarterback does Diego Pavia compare to?
This may shock you, but Tim Tebow is a skill set that Pavia reminds me of a lot of. Pavia’s dual-threat ability, strength to run between the tackles and ability to take over a game stood out like the shiniest of pennies during his first game as a Commodore this past Saturday.
Not only is Pavia’s physical ability transparent, but his leadership on and off the field had come to the spotlight as well. And this as we all know was a role the former two-time national championship quarterback of the Florida Gators took on quite well.
While this may be a wild comparison on the surface, it may seem increasingly realistic as the season goes on. The transfer portal is giving many programs and players a chance to shine more immediately than years past. And Pavia is a prime example of this.