The Vanderbilt football program has been forever changed over the last two seasons. Head coach Clark Lea and quarterback Diego Pavia led the Commodores to a fantastic resurgence. It started two seasons ago, but this past season, they cemented themselves after winning 10 games. That success also translated off the field, with five-star Jared Curtis committing to be the quarterback of the future.
Diego Pavia was on the most recent episode of “Glory Daze” with Johnny Manziel, talking about what it took for Vanderbilt to flip Curtis, who is a Nashville native. Pavia said that he met Curtis and then facetimed him with Theo Von, telling him to go to Vanderbilt. Then, he met with the coaches, and the money was good too, and it all made sense for him to flip.
Pavia said, “I’m sitting on the bleachers and stuff, and I’m watching this kid sling it. I’m like, ‘Dude, does that kid have offers?’ And he’s like, ‘Dude, chill out. He’s committed to Georgia, you know what I mean.’ And I was like, ‘No way.’ Like he’s got to stay at Vandy.
“So he throws a touchdown, and I’m sitting like on the bleachers, the first row, and he comes up by the sideline, and he was like, ‘Yo, Pavia.’ We shook hands and stuff, and then after that, he followed me on Instagram,” Pavia continued. “So I followed him back, and I DM'd him, and I was like, ’Yo, you need to come to Vanderbilt.” So I got his number, called him that night, and was with Theo. And so Theo and I Facetimed him and were like convincing him to come to Vandy.”
Pavia said that after talking to the coaches, he came in on a Sunday, saw Curtis watching film with the coaches and the general manager, and was convinced it was going to happen.
The way Pavia describes it, it is unbelievable that a random encounter led to Vanderbilt landing him. He will follow in the footsteps of the 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up and take the reins of an offense that has earned the benefit of the doubt.
