Heisman Trophy voter blasts Diego Pavia after 'F- all the voters' post, makes Johnny Manziel comparison

In the days since Diego Pavia’s Instagram post about Heisman Trophy voters, another addressed the situation. The Tuscaloosa News’ Chase Goodbread blasted the Vanderbilt quarterback in a column written this week.

Pavia made waves after the Heisman ceremony after Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the prestigious award. He posted “F- all the voters” on his Instagram story and was seen at a post-ceremony party with a sign that read, “F*** Indiana” written. Pavia later issued a lengthy apology.

Goodbread also made a comparison to Johnny Manziel. The former Texas A&M star is a close friend of Pavia’s, and Goodbread asked to think about what the response would have been if Manziel made the post.

“Had this been the 19-year-old Johnny Manziel — a Pavia confidant, by the way — an ‘F all the voters’ post on social media would’ve at least been less surprising, if no less classless,” Goodbread wrote. “But after six years in college, you’d think Pavia would’ve signed up for at least one course in humility by now. The kid-blows-off-steam defense also fails to hold up when one considers the dozens of kids who didn’t; decades worth of disappointed Heisman finalists who managed to leave New York City without leaving behind their dignity like Pavia did.”

Pavia put together a standout 2025 season at Vanderbilt after securing another year of eligibility. He not only threw for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns, but added 826 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground as a true dual-threat.

Those numbers helped Diego Pavia finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting, only behind Mendoza, who led Indiana to a 13-0 record and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. After his post and the sign at the party, Pavia took to social media to issue a lengthy apology to Mendoza and the Heisman voters for the situation.

“Being a part of the Heisman ceremony last night as a finalist was such an honor,” Pavia wrote on X. “As a competitor, just like in everything I do I wanted to win. To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful. I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to. I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.

“Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award. I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments as well as the success that Jeremiyah [Love] and Julian [Sayin] had this season.”