Diego Pavia burst onto the college football scene in 2024 combining brazen confidence with the playing ability on the field to match.
Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt football ahead of the 2024 college football season from New Mexico State, where he’d put together an impressive 2023 campaign, passing for a career-best 2,973 yards and 26 touchdowns with nine interceptions.
Pavia answered any questions about his ability to adapt to SEC play in Week 5 when Vanderbilt football knocked off AP No. 1-ranked Alabama, 40-35, behind 252 passing yards and two touchdowns.
His rapid ascent throughout SEC play helped push Vanderbilt to a victory in the Birmingham Bowl, the Commodores‘ first postseason victory since 2013, while finishing with a winning record for the first time since the same year.
Here’s everything you need to know about Vanderbilt football QB Diego Pavia.
How old is Diego Pavia?
Diego Pavia is 24 years old entering the upcoming college football season. He was born April 30, 2001.
Pavia received an injunction granting an extra year of NCAA eligibility in December, after a judge ruled that NCAA policies which prevented Pavia from playing in 2025 because of his two seasons at a junior college, violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Where is Diego Pavia from?
Pavia, the Vanderbilt quarterback, is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Pavia attended Volcano Vista High School, where he also played baseball and wrestled.
How tall is Diego Pavia
Diego Pavia stands at 6-feet tall, according to Vanderbilt athletics.
Diego Pavia stats
Diego Pavia’s was 177-of-298 passing for 2,293 yards with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions in his debut season with Vanderbilt football. He also rushed for 801 yards and eight touchdowns. Pavia was named USA Today SEC Co-Newcomer of the Year while being named a semifinalist for the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Awards.
Prior to Vanderbilt, Pavia spent two seasons at New Mexico State where he totaled 4,423 passing yards, 39 passing touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He rushed for 1,431 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Diego Pavia on Netflix’s Any Given Saturday
Diego Pavia featured prominently in Netflix’s “SEC Football: Any Given Saturday” series, which released Aug. 5 and featured some of the top storylines from throughout the 2024 SEC football season. Among the games featured were Vanderbilt’s wins over Alabama and Auburn, as well as its loss to Tennessee.
Pavia turned heads with a typically spirited quote in the series regarding Vanderbilt’s in-state rivals, the Volunteers.
“We can beat Tennessee literally any given Saturday. They think they’re going to destroy us,” he said. “(Expletive) every single one of them dudes, you know? We’re going to win this game at all costs.”
Diego Pavia family
Diego Pavia has three siblings, brothers Roel Jr. and Javier, and a sister Abrielle. Roel played football and wrestled at Briar Cliff University.
Pavia’s mother, Antoinette Padilla, is a staple at FirstBank Stadium on game days.
Diego Pavia high school
Diego Pavia attended Volcano Vista High in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and graduated without any FBS offers.
In his senior season, Pavia was 108-of-165 passing for 1,485 yards and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions, per MaxPreps, as Volcano Vista went 11-0 in the regular season before falling in the state semifinals.
Vanderbilt football scheduleAug. 30: Charleston Southern, 6 p.m., SEC Network+/ESPN+Sept. 6: at Virginia Tech, 6:30 p.m., ACC NetworkSept. 13: at South Carolina, night, ESPN or SEC NetworkSept. 20: Georgia State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNUSept. 27: Utah State, 11:45 a.m., SEC NetworkOct. 4: at Alabama, flexOct. 18: LSU, earlyOct. 25: Missouri, flexNov. 1: at Texas, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPNNov. 8: Auburn, afternoonNov. 22: Kentucky, afternoonNov. 29: at Tennessee, afternoon
Vanderbilt football 2024 record
Vanderbilt football went 7-6 in the 2024 college football season, its first winning campaign since 2013.
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.