Diego Pavia is #2Turnt
Vanderbilt football's Diego Pavia is rewriting Vanderbilt history
DIEGO BY THE NUMBERS
Doubt at Your Own Risk takes you inside Diego Pavia’s journey as a Commodore.
DIGITAL DIEGO
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2025 Season
- Tied his Vanderbilt career high with three passing touchdowns vs. Charleston Southern
- All three came in the first half, the second time at Vanderbilt he’s thrown multiple first-half touchdowns (last: Oct. 12, 2024, at Kentucky)
- Back-to-back games with 3+ TDs for the first time at Vanderbilt; 275 yards matches his career high (Oct. 19, 2024, vs. Ball State)
- Accounted for 319 total yards, the second-highest single-game total offense mark of his Vanderbilt career
- Pavia’s two passing touchdowns vs. Virginia Tech marked his third straight game with multiple scores through the air
- It was his 10th game at Vanderbilt with multiple passing touchdowns
- Generated 254 total yards, giving him seven career games with 250+ yards of offense — his first time doing so in back-to-back games since Georgia State and Missouri last season
- Moved to No. 10 in program history for career passing touchdowns with 25
- Threw two touchdowns in the first half, his 11th time as a Commodore with multiple touchdown passes. He has thrown for two or more touchdowns in four consecutive games
- With 236 passing and 322 all-purpose yards in the first half, graduate Diego Pavia has eclipsed 3,000 passing and 4,000 yards of total offense at Vanderbilt
- Threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and added 86 yards and a score on the ground
- The Commodores’ 42 points in the first half were the most first-half points scored by Vandy since at least 1996
- Vanderbilt’s 70 points were the most points scored since 1918 (76 vs. Tennessee)
- Tied a school record with five passing touchdowns, matching Johnny McCrary (2014, ODU), Jay Cutler (2005, vs. Kentucky) and Bill Wade (1950, vs. Auburn)
- Moved into sole possession of sixth place on Vanderbilt’s all-time passing touchdown list with 33
- Became the first Commodore quarterback to account for four touchdowns in a half vs. an FBS team since at least 1996, collecting three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the first half against the Aggies
- Became the only Commodore to account for six touchdowns against an NCAA FBS opponent since the 1996 campaign
- Pavia’s six total touchdowns vs. Utah State tied for the most touchdowns collected by a Vanderbilt quarterback in a game since at least 1996, matching Mike Wright Jr., who had six scores (4 passing, 2 rushing) vs. Elon on Sept. 3, 2022
- Is the third Commodore quarterback to score 4-plus touchdowns in a half since at least 1996, joining Mike Wright Jr. (4 TDs vs. Elon on Sept. 3, 2022) and Kyle Shurmur (4 TDs vs. Alabama A&M on Sept. 9, 2017)
- Pavia’s 321 passing yards are the most he has thrown at Vanderbilt, while it is the second-highest passing yard total he has thrown for in his collegiate career
- Amassed exactly 400 yards of offense on Saturday vs. Utah State, with 321 passing yards and 79 rushing yards
- It is the first time a Vanderbilt quarterback has recorded 400 yards of total offense since Kyle Shurmur had 405 total yards vs. Tennessee on Nov. 26, 2016
- Threw for 198 yards with a touchdown and added 58 yards to collect 256 total yards of offense
- 36-yard rush in the opening quarter was his longest of the season and matched the longest rush of his career
- It is Pavia’s seventh straight game with 200-plus yards of total offense
- At 5-1, Vanderbilt is off to the program’s best start since 2008
- At 6-1, Vanderbilt is off to the program’s best start since 1950
- Diego Pavia threw for 160 yards and a touchdown, adding 86 yards on the ground to match his season high
- Pavia has registered a passing and rushing touchdown in three games this season
- It is the first time this season that Pavia has recorded multiple rushing touchdowns
- Scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard rush to put Vanderbilt in front late in the fourth quarter
- Marked his 20th total touchdown accounted for this season, including his fifth rushing score
- Vandy is off to a 7-1 start for the first time since 1941
- First time in program history the Commodores have recorded three regular-season wins over AP top-25 opponents
- Threw for a career-high 365 yards to reach 4,356 passing yards as a Commodore, passing Jordan Rodgers and Ken Seals to move into seventh on Vanderbilt’s all-time list
- Registered three touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. His rushing touchdown went for 25 yards, his longest rushing score this season. He now has a rushing touchdown in five of the last six games
- Finished with 408 yards of total offense (365 passing, 43 rushing), a career high for the quarterback. His 408 yards were the most by a Commodore since 2015 and most against an SEC opponent since 2006
25-33 | 377 YDS | 3 TD | 18 RUSH | 112 YDS | 1 RUSHING TD
- Diego Pavia collected a career-high 489 total yards of offense, throwing for 377 yards and adding an additional 112 yards on the ground
- Pavia is the first Vanderbilt football player since at least 1996 to collect over 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game
- Pavia’s 377 passing yards are the most he has thrown for in an FBS game
- The quarterback’s 112 rushing yards are the most he has collected in a game at Vanderbilt, while it is his fourth career FBS game with 100-plus yards on the ground
- Pavia threw for two touchdowns and ran in another score, marking his fifth game this season with at least three scores
- With 489 all-purpose yards, Pavia moved into fifth in school history for season total yards of offense. He also eclipsed 6,000 total yards of offense in his Vanderbilt career
- Pavia is now tied for 10th in Vandy history for career rushing touchdowns with 15 as a Commodore
33-39 | 484 YDS | 5 TD | 15 RUSH | 48 YDS | 1 RUSHING TD
- Diego Pavia became Vanderbilt’s single-game record holder for passing yards in a game with 484, surpassing Whit Taylor’s record of 464 set in 1981
- Pavia’s 532 yards of total offense is the most in a game for the Dores since at least 1996, and overall, his 3,585 yards of total offense sets Vandy’s season record
- He is the first FBS quarterback this season to have a game with both 480 passing yards and five touchdowns
- For the second time this season, Pavia tied the program record for passing touchdowns in a game with five
- His 33 completions versus Kentucky are tied for the second-most in a game in program history
- Pavia reached multiple program benchmarks against Kentucky:
- Tied at No. 1 for passing touchdowns in a season (26)
- No. 4 for passing yards in a season (2,924)
- No. 5 for total offense in a career (6,679)
- No. 6 for passing yards in a career (5,217)
- Tied at No. 9 for rushing touchdowns in a career (16)
- No. 5 for completions in a season (224)
- The 71-yard touchdown pass to Tre Richardson is Pavia’s longest completion as a Dore
18-28-2 | 268 YDS | 1 TD | 20 RUSH | 165 YDS | 1 RUSHING TD
- Diego Pavia eclipsed 3,000 passing yards this season with 268 yards vs. Tennessee, with his 3,192 at the end of the contest setting a school season record
- With a career-high 165 yards on the ground, Pavia also surpassed 1,500 rushing yards in his Vanderbilt career
- Pavia recorded a passing and rushing score for the fifth time this season
- It’s Pavia’s second game of the season with 200-plus passing yards and over 100 yards rushing
- After scoring his 17th rushing touchdown as a Commodore, Pavia is now tied for sixth in the program’s record book for career rushing TDs
- With 433 total yards accounted for, Pavia moved into fourth on Vanderbilt’s career record list
- Vanderbilt scored 45 points vs. Tennessee, the most points allowed by the Volunteers’ defense all season
- Vandy’s 28 passing touchdowns this season are a program record
Diego Pavia 2025-26 Awards and Honors
- ⚓️ Team captain
- ⚓️ Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner
- ⚓️ Walter Camp Player of the Year Award semifinalist
- ⚓️ Maxwell Player of the Year Award semifinalist
- ⚓️ Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist
- ⚓️ Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025
- ⚓️ 5x Manning Award Star of the Week
- ⚓️ 4x Davey O’Brien Award Great 8
- ⚓️ 4x Tennessee Sports Writers Association Offensive Player of the Week
- ⚓️ 2x Associated Press National Player of the Week
- ⚓️ 2x Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week
- ⚓️ 2x Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week
- ⚓️ 2x SEC Offensive Player of the Week
- ⚓️ SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week (10.20)
- ⚓️ Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 25 (10.8)
- ⚓️ Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week (9.30)
- ⚓️ Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 (9.29)
- ⚓️ Manning Award Star of the Week (9.29)
- ⚓️ Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Watch List
- ⚓️ Maxwell Player of the Year Awards Watch List
- ⚓️ Davey O’Brien Award Watch List
- ⚓️ Manning Award Watch List
- ⚓️ Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Watch List
- ⚓️ Senior Bowl Top 300 Watch List
- ⚓️ Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List
- ⚓️ No. 81 on PFSN’s Top 100 College Football Players
Diego Pavia 2024-25 Awards and Honors
- ⚓️ Team Captain
- ⚓️ Associated Press Newcomer of the Year
- ⚓️ AP All-SEC second team
- ⚓️ USA Today SEC Co-Newcomer of the Year
- ⚓️ SEC Newcomer of the Year
- ⚓️ Maxwell Award Semifinalist
- ⚓️ Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist
- ⚓️ Davey O’Brien Award QB Class of 2024
- ⚓️ Manning Award Watch List
- ⚓️ Maxwell Award Watch List
- ⚓️ Birmingham Bowl MVP
- ⚓️ Davey O’Brien Award Bowl Season Great 8
Diego Pavia had zero D-I offers. Jerry Kill retired to a beach.
Now, they’re rewriting Vanderbilt football history
pic.twitter.com/uIXnMZlHkO— Sports Illustrated (@SInow)
September 20, 2025