Clark Lea makes case for Diego Pavia to win Heisman Trophy: 'He's the best player in the country'

Saturday night, Diego Pavia did it again. The Vanderbilt quarterback showed out with both his arm and his legs – and his head coach emphatically called for him to be at the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Clark Lea called Pavia “the best player in the country” after Vanderbilt’s dominant victory over Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Pavia completed 18 of 28 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, to two interceptions, but also led the Commodores with 165 rush yards and a touchdown. As a group, Vanderbilt had 314 yards on the ground.

But as he assessed Pavia’s performance, Lea said he’s not sure if there’s much more to add to the resume. He made it clear Pavia should be in New York for the Heisman ceremony next month.

“I just don’t know what else he needs to do,” Lea told ESPN’s Cole Cubelic. “He needs to be in New York. He’s the best player in the country. He showed it again tonight.

“And it wasn’t perfect. I think one of his best attributes is his resilience. He battled through the interceptions and I think he led our team in critical moments. Again, the way this team played in the second half, it’s just a credit to our players and staff. I’m so proud of them.”

Diego Pavia put together a decorated regular season at Vanderbilt this year after gaining another year of eligibility. He entered the rivalry game against Tennessee with 2,924 pass yards and an SEC-leading 26 passing touchdowns while also adding 661 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground through the first 11 games.

Those numbers helped him get squarely into the Heisman Trophy mix. Heading into Week 14, he was +600 to win the award, according to BetMGM. That gave him the fourth-shortest odds to win college football’s most prestigious award.

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