Subscribe
Follow Us
Everything comes at a price in the NIL era of college football, including a potentially program-altering win. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is quickly becoming one of more popular NCAA athletes in the country following his fearless and triumphant showing in Saturday's 40-35 upset victory over then-No. 1 Alabama. And now he is looking to cash in.
“For NIL inquiries hit my Agent 5055447267,” Pavia posted on X on Monday afternoon. “Vandy we turnt.”
Whether or not the New Mexico State transfer is joking, his bank account is bound to get bigger after his latest heroics. The Commodores have not had a winning season in over a decade and last qualified for a bowl game in 2018. They are undeniably one of the biggest punchlines in the Power Four. The idea that they could topple the top-ranked team in the nation is too far-fetched for a Hollywood script.
Even David, the slayer of Goliath, would have chuckled at such a fantasy coming to life. But Pavia is the unique protagonist that Vanderbilt needed to successfully craft this gripping underdog tale inside a relevance-starved FirstBank Stadium. It will understandably not be a story that everyone can digest, given that the Albuquerque native urinated on the logo of his hometown New Mexico Lobos last year, but it is resonating with people throughout the country.
Pavia rose from humble beginnings with both the New Mexico Military Institute and the Aggies, earning Conference USA Player of the Year honors in 2023. He led New Mexico State to its first 10-win season since before John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as president of the United States. Pavia's history-defying impact is carrying over into Nashville, Tennessee.
Diego Pavia is leading Vandy into unfamiliar territory
The 23-year-old completed 16-of-20 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He added 56 more rushing yards, doing his part to carry out head coach Clark Lea's possession-domination game plan against the Crimson Tide. When much of the college football-watching world waited for him to falter in the closing minutes, Diego Pavia secured the incomprehensible win with multiple first-downs.
There is reason to believe that this mobile QB is more than a one-hit SEC wonder. He has not thrown an interception in his first five games for the Commodores and nearly helped the squad pull off a road win over Missouri in September. Perhaps there are more milestone moments to come.
If they do, Pavia's agent should be overwhelmed with phone calls.
