ESPN’s Rece Davis put Alabama on notice while previewing the Crimson Tide’s matchup with Vanderbilt on the College GameDay Podcast.
In his analysis, Davis praised Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia and drew a comparison to Florida State’s Thomas Castellanos, who led the Seminoles to an upset over Alabama in Week 1.
Davis acknowledged that Alabama’s defense features plenty of talent but noted their issues in containing mobile quarterbacks. “If you looked at the difficulty that Alabama had against Tommy Castellanos, getting him on the ground,” Davis said. “Castellanos is good, and I don’t mean to throw shade at him at all, he’s not as good as Diego Pavia. And I don’t think he is as quite as elusive, as crafty. Pavia has improved this year as a pure passer.”
Alabama has improved as the season progresses, but this puts the matchup into prospective. Castellanos has had a productive start to his 2025 campaign. The FSU signal-caller has thrown for 848 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions, while also adding 217 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. His performance against Alabama remains a career highlight, sparking national attention to open the season.
However, Davis believes Pavia poses an even greater threat. The Vanderbilt quarterback has been one of the SEC’s most efficient passers this season, racking up 1,211 yards with 13 touchdowns against just three interceptions. He has also outgained Castellanos as a runner, making him one of the more dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks Alabama will face.
The Tide defense has historically struggled with option-based offenses and quarterbacks who can turn up field quickly. “You can’t really replicate it in practice at the same level of expertise and speed," Davis said about Pavia.
Alabama hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC.
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