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Diego Pavia claps back at Ryan Williams' promise to 'kill an ant with a sledgehammer'

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz06/04/25NickSchultz_7
Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia
Jay Biggerstaff | Imagn Images

After Ryan Williams promised Alabama would “kill an ant with a sledgehammer” against Vanderbilt this year, Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia responded. He offered a message via Instagram Tuesday night.

Pavia reposted a reel that had Gucci Mane’s “Made It (Outro)” playing in the background. One of the lyrics is “They actin like they tough but don’t want no confrontation,” and Pavia included a 100 emoji and smoke emoji with the post.

Pavia helped lead Vanderbilt to a 40-35 victory over Alabama in Nashville a year ago – one of the biggest wins of the 2024 season. Afterward, fans stormed the field, and Pavia coined the now-famous rallying cry, “Vandy we f***ing turnt” amid the crowd.

Williams shared his message for his teammates during an interview with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden for Barstool Sports. He stopped short of calling it a “revenge game,” but his confidence was clear in his answer.

“Going into this game, we don’t call them revenge games, we’re going to kill an ant with a sledgehammer this year,” Williams said. “Every game we fell short last year, we definitely got red eyes going into them (this year).”

Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt came one week after a thrilling victory over No. 1-ranked Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It looked like a pinnacle moment for first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, and Williams had the eventual game-winning touchdown on a 75-yard pass from Jalen Milroe.

However, the following week put Diego Pavia in the national spotlight as he orchestrated the upset victory. Williams recalled that game and how the Crimson Tide got off to a sluggish start while Vanderbilt stuck to its game plan the whole way.

“Man, they just played a better football game than us that game,” Williams told Gruden. “We came out slow and they capitalized. They held the ball, they had their game plan and they executed it.”

Both Williams and Pavia are getting ready for their second seasons with their respective programs, and a rematch is in the cards. This time around, Vanderbilt will head to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium Oct. 4.

Pavia’s return came after he sued for an extra year of eligibility due to his time at the junior college level. A Tennessee district judge granted Pavia a preliminary injunction against the NCAA enforcing its eligibility standards last December, prompting the NCAA to grant a blanket waiver allowing former JUCO athletes whose eligibility was exhausted last season to participate in the 2025 season.