Diego Pavia on people who are offended by his swagger: 'That's just who I am'

Diego Pavia won’t apologize for who he is on and off the field. If you’re offended by his swagger, get in line right?

But the Vanderbilt quarterback backs it up on the field. Like him or not, he could be the Heisman Trophy winner Saturday after leading Vanderbilt to 10 wins this year and putting himself in good position for the NFL Draft in 2026.

From not being recruited to the top of the college football world, the dual threat QB earned it. Pavia doesn’t plan on stopping either.

“I think a lot of people kind of get overwhelmed with my confidence and swagger in a certain way, you know,” Pavia said on SportsCenter. “And it offends them a little bit, but that’s just who I am. I kind of had to be my own cheerleader my whole life, you know. And that’s coming from the New Mexico military, where you’re DMing coaches every single day, trying to just have a chance at the next level, you know? So, I’m super thankful for this opportunity that I’m in, you know?

“And I want to prove that in the NFL. I want to be a great NFL quarterback, and I want to be the winningest quarterback in the NFL eventually.”

This season, in 12 games, Pavia set career highs to put himself in position for the Heisman Trophy. He had 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns, eight interceptions, a 71.2% completion percentage, 826 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

“Well, I think I’ve, you know, explained this quite a lot, but you guys see it. 4,000 yards – the only one in the FBS,” Pavia said of his Heisman case. “But, I think it’s a team award, you know. The offensive line deserves it. You know, we got, in my head, the Joe Moore Award winners. And then, obviously, we’ve got the best tight end in football. But, it’s like a team effort, you know, and so I feel like, you know, I want it more for the team than I do want it for myself. The O-line is coming out to support me, so I want them, you know, to take home the trophy with me.”

Pavia, a selection as First Team All-SEC, along with being a winner so far as SEC Offensive Player of the Year and of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, did it all for the ‘Dores. He powered not only a Top 10 offense for Vanderbilt, which put up 39.4 points and 468.5 yards per game, but also changed the overall culture of the program for the Commodores.