Diego Pavia reveals what it would mean to win Heisman Trophy

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was named among four finalists for the 2025 Heisman Trophy on Monday, along with Indiana‘s Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State‘s Julian Sayin and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The foursome will next travel to New York City later this week ahead of Saturday night’s award ceremony inside the famed Lincoln Center in downtown Manhattan.

But, before that, Pavia continued his recent media blitz by joining former NFL and SEC players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor on Tuesday’s episode of The Pivot Podcast to talk about his legendary college career, including directing Vanderbilt’s first-ever 10-win regular season this year.

During his appearance on The Pivot, the Commodores’ sixth-year senior QB addressed what it’d mean to hear his name called as this season’s Heisman Trophy winner. It’s a moment Pavia has dreamt about since watching Texas A&M‘s Johnny Manziel — who has become a friend and mentor — win the award in 2012, when the Vanderbilt superstar was 10 and living in Albuquerque.

“Dude, that would mean … I can’t even put into words how much that means,” Pavia said on The Pivot. “I still remember Johnny winning it. I used to watch Johnny’s tape, I can tell you front-to-back what (his stats read on screen) when he accepts the award. It was just like, dude, I want that to be me one day. That’s what I was thinking that day. … Now it’s coming full circle and it’s like, I have that opportunity.”

Diego Pavia on Saturday’s Heisman Trophy ceremony: ‘I’m super excited for it and I can’t wait’

Of course, Pavia’s journey to NYC hasn’t come without plenty of challenges, including taking and beating the NCAA in court this past offseason to earn an additional season of eligibility in a landmark legal ruling. But amid all the wins on and off the field, Pavia has been humbled plenty along the way, including when he was still at New Mexico State.

“My boy MK (Makhilyn Young), he’s a running back, and every time we’d get back to the sidelines (after) scoring, it’d be like I was on a high (and thinking about the Heisman), he was like, ‘Hey, don’t play with that shit, 10,'” Pavia continued. “Because he was with me at New Mexico State when I was 10. And it was (always) just like, ‘I can do this.’ So just to have an opportunity at it, I think that’s a big blessing. But I’m super excited for it and I can’t wait.”

Pavia earned this opportunity by doing it all for the ‘Dores this season, producing an SEC-leading 4,018 yards of total offense and 36 combined touchdowns while directing No. 13 Vanderbilt to the cusp of making the College Football Playoffs. Should he ultimately hear his name called Saturday night, Pavia would become the fourth SEC player in the last three decades to win the Heisman Trophy after topping 250 passing yards and 150 rushing in a single game — joining Manziel, Jayden Daniels, and Tim Tebow.