Clark Lea reacts to Vanderbilt’s involvement in Netflix documentary

Vanderbilt‘s historic 2024 season was among several storylines immortalized in the new seven-part Netflix documentary “SEC Football: Any Given Saturday,” including a heavy focus on the impact of former transfer quarterback Diego Pavia.

Netflix’s latest sports docuseries highlighted the Commodores’ shocking 40-35 home upset of a then-No. 1 ranked Alabama on Oct. 5, 2024 in the third episode titled “Shock the World” and later showed how Vanderbilt secured its first bowl trip since 2018 with a 17-7 road win at Auburn.

‘Dores head coach Clark Lea and Pavia were central characters throughout the series, with Lea’s always-positive approach to coaching coming through the screen as much as Pavia’s brazen personality.

“My No. 1 objective was to be myself and have our program be represented exactly as we are. So I think, how was it? It was as if they weren’t there,” Lea said earlier this week. “Now, at the end of the day, we watched the episodes we’re featured in as a team. That was important for us to do because Netflix is going to tell a story, and that story is an important one. And I’m so grateful for their interest in our program, but also in our conference. I think this is such a fun product for fans to take in. I think it’s really cool … as a football fan, if I wasn’t busy this time of year, I would have probably already watched it all.”

The series third episode featured all the build-up and end result of Vanderbilt’s incredible upset of the top-ranked Crimson Tide, with a heavy focus on Pavia’s bold personality. On3’s Andy Staples, a central narrator throughout the seven-episode series, described Pavia as “playing like a little tiny dog who thinks he’s a Rottweiler,” perfectly encapsulating the Commodores’ QB’s approach to the game.

Leading up to the game, former Alabama coach-turned-ESPN analyst Nick Saban famously made a joke about how Vanderbilt is the only away stadium that feels like home for the Crimson Tide during an midseason appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. And when a Netflix producer showed Pavia that clip, his reaction was simple and to the point: “That fuels me.”

“I understand it’s Alabama with freaking six first-rounders and stuff. (But) I’m a first-rounder too — in my head,” Pavia said as pregame footage is played on screen. “You’ve got to be freaking psychotic a little bit.”

Of course, while Lea generally came away with a positive perspective of how Vanderbilt was prepresented on the series, the Commodores alum also had a reason for participating.

“I’m grateful for the exposure, I’m grateful for the Vanderbilt story to be told. Doesn’t mean I watched it and said, ‘Hey, they’re telling it how I wanted it told.’ Obviously that’s not the point,” Lea concluded. “But we have to be mature with how we handle that attention. And my job as head coach, when those cameras are here, I don’t change how we operate.

“I don’t change who I am. I don’t change how I relate to the players. So, at the end of the day what is seen is reality. That to me gives them the message we’re going to be who we are, we’re not going to put on a show. And that’s how we help tell the story the best we can.”