NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has been named one of 16 semifinalists for the 88th Annual Maxwell Award, as well as one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award.
Presented by the Maxwell Football Club, the Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate player of the year. The Davey O’Brien Award is given to the nation’s top quarterback by the Davey O’Brien Foundation.
Pavia has led Vanderbilt to a 6-4 mark on the season, reaching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. Along the way, Pavia has engineered wins over Virginia Tech, No. 1 Alabama, Kentucky and Auburn.
The graduate student has completed 60.6 percent of his passes this season for 1,843 yards and 15 touchdowns. With his legs, Pavia has 628 rushing yards and five scores. He leads SEC quarterbacks in rushing yards and ranks eighth among all SEC players. He’s fifth in the SEC with a pass efficiency rating of 148.45.
Per Pro Football Focus, his 24 rushes of at least 10 yards are the most by a Power 4 quarterback this season. In addition, his 568 yards after contact lead Power 4 quarterbacks and ranks second among all FBS signal-callers.
His most impressive performance of the season came against then-No. 1 Alabama, when he led the Dores to their first win over a No. 1 team in school history. He was named the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Player of the Week, as well as SEC Offensive Player of the Week. He was 16-for-20 for 252 yards and two touchdowns, posting the best completion percentage against the Crimson Tide since 2010.
Pavia is the fourth quarterback since 2004 to earn wins over Alabama and Auburn in the same season without playing in the SEC East, joining Stetson Bennett, Deshaun Watson and Matthew Stafford. He is just the eighth quarterback since 2004 to earn at least three combined wins over the Tide and Tigers during their career.
Pavia and the Commodores return to action on Nov. 23 at LSU.
Maxwell Award Semifinalists – Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Cam Skattebo (Arizona State), Bryson Daily (Army), Ashton Jeanty (Boise State), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Travis Hunter (Colorado), Kurtis Rourke (Indiana), Kaleb Johnson (Iowa), Cameron Ward (Miami Fla.), Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Dylan Sampson (Tennessee), Quinn Ewers (Texas) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt)
Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalists – Drew Allar (Penn State), Bryson Daily (Army), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon), Blake Horvath (Navy), Will Howard (Ohio State), Kevin Jennings (SMU), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), John Mateer (Washington State), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt), Jake Retzlaff (BYU), Kurtis Rourke (Indiana), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Cam Ward (Miami Fla.)
