Diego Pavia is one of the brightest stars in college football. He finished the year as a Heisman trophy finalist who led Vanderbilt to a 10-2 record this season. But, before he became one of the best quarterbacks in the sport, he was on the radar of Deion Sanders during his time at Jackson State.


Pavia being recruited by Jackson State was an obscure fact that started to spread following Vanderbilt's huge victory over Alabama last year. It was also confirmed in a report by The Athletic that Pavia was offered a scholarship by the Tigers but eventually ended up at New Mexico.

He confirmed the scholarship offer by Sanders in a recent appearance on The Pivot podcast.

“Coach Prime offered me at Jackson State. But he was so real. He was like, ‘Hey, look, we're looking for a backup. You ain't playing over my son, even if he gets hurt.' I'm like, ‘At least he's real.'”

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Sanders's pitch to Pavia was interesting in itself, especially given his talent. Sanders quickly took the reins of the Jackson State offense once he arrived on campus in the Fall 2021 season. He quickly became one of the best players in HBCU football. During his two years at Jackson State, Sanders delivered impressive stats, racking up 6,983 passing yards with 616 completions out of 901 attempts and 70 touchdowns. He kept turnovers to a minimum, throwing just 14 interceptions, and averaged 268.6 passing yards per game. His standout performances earned him the 2021 SWAC Freshman of the Year award and the esteemed Deacon Jones Award.

Pavia's comments give credence to a 2024 post by Deion Sanders Jr. saluting him following his big game against Alabama.

“Diego Pavia….Bro has an incredible story! He was also supposed to come to Jackson State. Good game, You deserve it. Congratulations my brother,” Sanders said in his post.

Pavia finished second in Heisman Trophy voting this year behind Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, the eventual winner. Pavia finished with 1,435 votes.