As the Vanderbilt Commodores continue to win games, the light cannot help but be cast upon quarterback Diego Pavia, a former transfer.
Pavia, the former starting quarterback for the New Mexico State football team, transferred into Vanderbilt this offseason. Typically as a history will show, players often transfer out of Vanderbilt rather than into the program. However, Pavia chose otherwise and has since been proud of the decision he made before the start of the 2024 season.
The talented quarterback recorded nearly 3000-yards through the air last season, along with 26 passing touchdowns. On the ground, Pavia recorded 928-yards and seven rushing touchdowns last season before entering the transfer portal. The quarterback averaged 5.2-yards per carry with New Mexico State and had quite the impact for the team.
Now, the quarterback has continued his great play with the Vanderbilt Commodores on a much bigger, more competitive level.
Vanderbilt Commodores Quarterback Diego Pavia Primed For Big Second Half of Season
While Pavia has proven he can put fans into the stands, he has also proven that he can back up his confidence with excellent play on the field.
The Commodores have not had the perfect season, with a bad loss to Georgia State and an overtime loss to Missouri. However, there is still a lot the team and Pavia have done right, including the massive upset defeat of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Vanderbilt also had an exceptional performance on offense during the season-opener against the Virginia Tech Hokies that truly set the precedent for what the 2024 Commodores can do.
Has to be one of Diego Pavia’s best touchdowns in a Vanderbilt uniform, right? pic.twitter.com/ItYdTttCbw
— Joey Dwyer (@joey_dwy) October 13, 2024
Diego Pavia. That’s the tweet.
pic.twitter.com/iOGcNYN7ju— Billy Derrick (@billyderrick10) October 13, 2024
Currently, Pavia has recorded 1116-yards, 10 touchdowns, and one interception this season. The quarterback also has a rating of 82, which places him at 14th in all of college football. On the ground, the quarterback has over 100 carries and 388-yards rushing for the Commodores, along with two rushing scores.
Pavia has managed to make quite a lot happen thus far into the season with an offensive line unit that is frankly not the best. The quarterback has been sacked nearly two times per game this season, and still must play #1 Texas, #8 LSU, and #11 Tennessee. Pavia could have record sack numbers behind the Commodores offensive line this season, but also has the potential to continue his offensive production.
Pavia has averaged 3.7-yards per rush this season, but given the talent he has on the ground, the quarterback could certainly improve on the ground in the second half of the season.
If Pavia manages to break free like he did against Virginia Tech, recording 104-yards and a touchdown, then the Commodores would be hard to beat.
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