Following the success the team has had over the last two years, Vanderbilt football fans firmly believe that quarterback Diego Pavia should be the 2025 Heisman Trophy frontrunner. Few are bigger supporters of that notion than former receiver Jordan Matthews.
Matthews, the program's all-time leading receiver, firmly believes there is no singular player more important to any team in college football than the Vanderbilt quarterback.
“Some people are good football players, but they don't inspire by the way they play,” Matthews said. “Even last week versus Auburn. We were down, but with [Diego Pavia], you're never out of it. Even with that Texas game, we had a chance. He instills belief in everybody, but it's the way he goes about his process… He is the Heisman contender; I know that. To me, he is the most important player in the country to his team.”
"He's the most important football player in the country to his team."
Jordan Matthews says @VandyFootball's Diego Pavia is a Heisman contender ⚓️ pic.twitter.com/8oRjVErUfj
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 22, 2025
Matthews was joined on the ‘Marty & McGee' show by ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers, who was his quarterback at Vanderbilt in 2012 and 2013. Rodgers also agreed that he believes Pavia should be leading the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Since he committed to Vanderbilt from the 2023 college football transfer portal, Pavia has led the Commodores to a 15-8 record through 23 games. He has also led them to their first top-10 ranking in the AP poll in over 75 years.
Pavia's 2,440 passing yards through 10 games are the sixth-most in the SEC, and his 613 rushing yards rank 10th in the conference. He is one of just three Power Four quarterbacks with at least 2,000 passing yards and 600 rushing yards, joining Georgia Tech's Haynes King and Arkansas' Taylen Green.
Pavia's 70 percent completion rate is also the eighth-highest in the country among players with at least 200 passing attempts.
