NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has advanced in the process for selecting a pair of year-end awards with the announcement that he is a member of the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2025 and one of the Top 10 quarterbacks for the 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award®.
Fan voting on Facebook, Instagram and X will earn candidates bonus votes for the Davey O’Brien Award, with individuals needing to like the official graphic from the @daveyobrien social media account highlighting their favorite quarterback. Semifinalists from the class will be revealed on Nov. 12, with the winner of the award presented to the nation’s best college quarterback ultimately announced on Feb. 16, 2026.
The winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award®—given to the nation’s top upperclassman quarterback who best exemplifies character, leadership and excellence both on and off the field—will be announced at a ceremony in Baltimore later this year.
So far this season Pavia has been named the Walter Camp National FBS Offensive Player of the Week following the Commodores’ victory over Utah State and the SEC Offensive Player of the Week after Vandy defeated LSU. He made the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 and was also selected a Manning Award Star of the Week following both of those wins, and has been named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Offensive Player of the Week on four occasions this fall as well.
The Albuquerque, New Mexico, has connected on 139-of-202 passes for 1,698 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025, and he also leads the Dores in rushing after adding 458 yards and five scores in helping Vanderbilt to a 7-1 start and it’s first appearance in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll since 1947. Pavia has accounted for multiple scores in six of eight games this season as he ranks third in the SEC with a 159.0 pass efficiency rating and 68.8 completion percentage, and is also among the top five in the conference in touchdown passes and points responsible for.
With his performance thus far this fall, he has moved into the top 10 in the program’s record books with 3,991 passing yards, 35 touchdown throws, 366 completions and 5,250 yards of total offense.
No. 9/11 Vanderbilt opens the final month of the regular season at No. 20/19 Texas Saturday, the program’s fourth straight matchup with a top 25 opponent. The Commodores and Longhorns will kick off on ABC at 11 a.m. from DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.