Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt, Set Their Sights Towards January
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia isn’t resting on his breakout 2024 campaign. As the Commodores kicked off fall camp this week, the senior signal-caller made it clear: competition isn’t over, and expectations have never been higher.
After a 7–6 season capped by a historic upset over Alabama, Pavia enters 2025 as the unquestioned starter, but he’s taking nothing for granted. “If I don’t play good, then Blaze is up,” he said, referring to quarterback Blaze Berlowitz. “We’re competing every day. That’s the standard.”
Pavia also praised the growth of his QB room, citing Berlowitz’s increasing maturity. “He’s laying off the ladies,” Pavia said with a grin, “and he’s more dialed in than ever.”
Drawing from his wrestling background, Pavia compared fall camp to the grueling grind of the mat. “Nothing’s as hard as wrestling,” he added, noting how the daily adversity bonds teammates through “team time” in the evenings, an effort to build deeper chemistry and accountability across the roster.
Still, for Pavia, it’s about more than depth charts or day-to-day execution. It’s about raising the bar. “I’ve set high standards for myself,” he said. “And now those standards are becoming the team’s standards.”
Coming off a season with over 3,000 total yards and 28 touchdowns, Pavia has already left a mark on the program. But if fall camp is any indication, his sights, and the team’s, are set on something bigger.
“We’re not just trying to win games,” he said. “We’re trying to build something that lasts.”
