Diego Pavia reveals he joked with Clark Lea about graduate transfer: 'I don't need to go to class'

Diego Pavia didn’t come to Vanderbilt to play school. Or at least, that is what the quarterback somewhat jokingly told head coach Clark Lea after committing as a graduate transfer.

Having changed his major in order to graduate from New Mexico State and get admitted to Vanderbilt as a graduate, Pavia posited that he didn’t really need to work toward a graduate degree. This year of football is going to be his last in college, one way or another, from the sound of things.

“In order for me to come to Vanderbilt, I had to graduate from New Mexico State,” Pavia said on the “Paul Finebaum Show” on Wednesday. “And I was doing my biology degree at New Mexico State but in order to graduate and come here to Vanderbilt, I had to change my degree to individualized studies. So when I talk about all eggs in one basket, it’s all eggs in one basket. It’s like my last time. And I told Coach Lea when I first got here, ‘It’s my last year, I graduated. I don’t need to go to class. It’s just football.'”

And with a chuckle, Pavia continued his story, explaining how Lea took it in stride and, in his usually reserved manner, set the quarterback straight about what was going to be expected of him at Vanderbilt.

“And he’s like, ‘No, it’s not. You’ve gotta go to class here,'” Pavia said with a smile. “It’s a different thing, but I’m super thankful to be here. Super thankful for Coach Lea.”

Lea is also not the only reason Pavia is at Vanderbilt. The hiring of his former head coach at New Mexico State, Jerry Kill, and Lobos offensive coordinator Tim Beck played key roles in the quarterback — who just authored an historic upset — coming to Nashville.

“You know, Coach Kill was a big reason, the main reason why I’m here, along with coach Beck,” Pavia said. “And so just them having me is — I appreciate them, a lot.”