Diego Pavia cut a Heisman reel vs. Kentucky, which could learn from Vandy about marketing a star

If, for some reason, you came into this game with doubts that Diego Pavia is a very good quarterback, today’s performance should have put them to rest. Pavia and the ‘Dores put on a show on Senior Day, beating Kentucky 45-17. With Vandy still in the hunt for the College Football Playoff and Pavia for the Heisman Trophy, the ‘Dores had a point to make, and did they ever.

Pavia finished with 517 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. Against a banged-up Kentucky secondary, Pavia feasted, going 32-38 for 469 passing yards and four scores through the air and 15 carries for 48 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. Those 469 passing yards are a new Vanderbilt single-game record and the most by a quarterback against Kentucky since Peyton Manning threw for 523 on Nov. 22, 1997, per Corey Price. That’s pretty good company, especially when it comes to beating the Cats.

It was Pavia’s third straight game with 400-plus total yards and his second game this season in which he’s scored five touchdowns. His season totals are up to 2,909 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He has 661 yards and eight more touchdowns on the ground. If you thought he looked determined today, wait until next week’s game at Tennessee.

I wasn’t at Kroger Field last year to see Pavia’s first game against Kentucky, in which he led the ‘Dores to a 20-13 win with two touchdowns and almost 200 total yards of offense. I’ve watched him play plenty of games on television, but seeing him in person is a completely different experience. And I say experience, because it goes beyond his talent on the field, of which there is plenty. Pavia is a masterful scrambler that can also fire the ball down the field on a whim, perfectly dropping it into a receiver’s hands. He was like a cat playing with a mouse, which would be really fun to watch if you weren’t the mouse.

*Vandy during TV timeouts…

*Kentucky bringing someone from 04 softball team to the corner of the end zone for 29 seconds during TV timeouts at Kroger Field pic.twitter.com/fp7o7rx3vs

— Dylan Ballard (@DylanBallard_UK) November 22, 2025

Then there’s the atmosphere. I’ve been coming to the Kentucky-Vanderbilt game in Nashville since I moved here in 2006. I’ve never seen it like this. Obviously, Kentucky usually plays better, Vandy usually isn’t as good, and the stadium is usually more blue than black and gold (although there was a decent contingent of BBN today), but this felt like something new. From the renovations to the in-game experience, and of course, Pavia, Vanderbilt Football is now a mood. And good for them. They were in the SEC cellar with Kentucky for a long time. They’re making the most of their time in the sun, partying on the field for an hour after the game ended.

Pavia soaked it all up, doing touchdown celebrations with Theo Vonn on the sideline, striking the Heisman pose for ESPN’s cameras, and begging Clark Lea to let him stay in the game longer in the fourth quarter. When he finally took his bow and headed to the sideline, it was to a standing ovation and “Pavia” chants from the crowd. His famous mother was a fixture on the ESPN broadcast, to the point I’m pretty sure BBN has Pavia mom fatigue. Even she hit the Heisman pose.

Diego’s mom on the other hand is all “yes”. pic.twitter.com/c5H1WjZ5Ab

— Vol Knight Long (@BatteredVawl516) November 22, 2025

All this to say that, result aside, it’s cool to see what’s possible in the new era of college football. Time will tell if Clark Lea and Vanderbilt captured lightning in a bottle with Pavia. Regardless, Kentucky should take notes. Cutter Boley is an incredibly talented young quarterback. He may not be as braggadocious as Pavia (thank goodness), but he’s charismatic, fearless, and a Kentucky boy through and through. The program needs to fully embrace that and market the heck out of him next season. This past offseason doesn’t give me a ton of hope that it will happen, but as Vandy showed us tonight, it’s never too late to try.