Skip to main content
Join Now
Get a profile. Be recruited.

Diego Pavia on whether he should win Heisman: ‘Hell yeah I believe it’

Danby: Daniel Hager3 hours agoDanielHagerOn3
Diego-Pavia-on-whether-he-should-win-Heisman-Hell-yeah-I-believe-it

No. 10 Vanderbilt improved to 7-1 for the first time since 1941 Saturday afternoon following its 17-10 win over No. 15 Missouri.

Following the game, Commodore quarterback Diego Pavia was asked whether or not he believes he should win the Heisman Trophy. His answer was brief.

“Hell yeah I believe it,” Pavia said. “We’ve just got to keep winning football games and I feel like with the schedule we’ve got, obviously it’s a difficult schedule playing in the SEC. You play a lot of ranked games.”

In the win over Missouri, Pavia completed 10/19 passes for 129 yards. He was held without a passing touchdown, although he found the end zone on the ground. He also tossed an interception.

While his numbers don’t exactly pop off the page, you can’t deny the impact that the New Mexico State transfer has had on the Vanderbilt program. The Commodores are ranked inside the top-10 for the first time since 1947, they hosted ESPN’s College GameDay for the first time since 2008 and look to be on track to possibly make the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Across eight games this season, Pavia has completed 69% of his passes for 1,698 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 458 yards and five scores on the ground.

Heisman winner Andre Ware speaks highly of Pavia

“All he does is create magic,” 1989 Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware said during ESPN‘s midseason Heisman Trophy preview show on Friday. “This guy is just fun to watch play the game. Every single weekend, I’m watching or looking for what Diego Pavia has done. He reminds me of Doug Flutie with the magic that he creates and the playmaking ability. He is special.”

“You talk about a guy who can create wild moments? He created them last weekend against LSU, and just marched his team down the field, struck the pose. “The magic is just there every single time he takes the field. He is a guy that I literally search for. Who are they playing? What’s Pavia doing? Because, he’s that fun to watch.”

“So, those wild moments that you’re talking about, Rece (Davis), Diego Pavia can provide those down the stretch, and I think the schedule sets up for them as well. Now, you have an opportunity starting Saturday.”

Pavia can certainly cement his case across the final four games of the regular season, as Vanderbilt will square off against some questionable defenses in No. 22 Texas, Auburn, Kentucky and No. 17 Tennessee. No Vanderbilt player has ever won the award.