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- Diego Pavia recruiting
- Where did Diego Pavia play before Vanderbilt?
- Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt?
- Diego Pavia transfer timeline
Before Diego Pavia arrived, Vanderbilt football did not have a winning season since 2014. In 2024, the transfer quarterback's first year with the program, the Commodores finished 7-6, highlighted with a win over No. 1 Alabama. Vanderbilt -- long known as the doormat of the SEC -- beat the AP No. 1 team for the first time in program history.
In the 2025 offseason, Pavia announced his return to Vanderbilt for his final collegiate season, and with it came some of the highest expectations in program history. Pavia has been instrumental to the turnaround of the Commodores program.
"Diego Pavia deserves all the attention and credit that he gets. I mean he is a difference maker."
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 2, 2025
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea on his QB Diego Pavia. pic.twitter.com/8ICqsMcJQv
But, before Pavia got to Nashville, he played at two schools in New Mexico, one at the Division II level. Here's his entire collegiate journey, from a quarterback with no D-1 offers to leading the surging Commodores.
Diego Pavia recruiting
Pavia attended Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, N.M., where he had nearly 1,500 passing yards and 14 touchdowns alongside over 460 rushing yards and nine rushing scores.
The Albuquerque native received no Division I offers out of high school due to his size, which he admitted often became the sole focus of recruiters. His only FBS offers were from two Division II programs. This lack of opportunity forced him to begin his collegiate journey at the junior college level, committing to New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) as a walk-on.
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Where did Diego Pavia play before Vanderbilt?
Pavia started his collegiate career at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, N.M, where he excelled for two years. In his two seasons at the junior college, he totaled over 2,600 passing yards and 1,100 rushing yards, leading the Broncos to the NJCAA National Championship in 2021.
In his championship season, Pavia threw for 21 touchdowns to only one interception, and in the title game against Iowa Western he had three total touchdowns in a 31-21 win. He transferred to New Mexico State the following offseason, where he spent the next two years.
During his time at New Mexico State, Pavia played in 27 games, tallying 4,423 passing yards, 39 passing touchdowns, 1,431 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He was named the 2023 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year after leading the Aggies to a 10-win season (the program’s first since 1960) and ranked among the nation's best in total offense (3,896 yards).
That season, Pavia also led New Mexico State to one of its biggest wins in program history, defeating Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium 31-10. The quarterback had 201 yards and three touchdowns in the performance, which was the Aggies' first ever win against an SEC opponent. Pavia finished his NMSU career ranked second all-time in school history for rushing yards by a quarterback, underscoring his identity as a dynamic runner.
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Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt?
In January 2024, Pavia announced that he was transferring to Vanderbilt, following his offensive coordinator Tim Beck and tight end Eli Stowers.
Also on the staff was his head coach at New Mexico State, Jerry Kill, who told Pavia in December 2023 he was joining the Commodores staff as a consultant. Pavia previously committed to play for Nevada, but got a call from Kill while still on campus, saying he expected to see Pavia in Nashville.
This collective move of his most trusted football mentors, especially Kill -- who gave Pavia his first major college opportunity-- made the decision a "no-brainer" for the quarterback, as he valued the stability of playing under coaches who understood his game.
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Diego Pavia transfer timeline
Pavia has had a three-stop college career, all at different levels, which is ending with leading Vanderbilt to unprecedented success.
New Mexico Military Institute
Pavia’s junior college career at NMMI was where he transformed from an unrecruited high school player into a champion, proving that his lack of size did not equate to a lack of talent. His two seasons at the military institute culminated in him leading the Broncos to the NJCAA National Football Championship in 2021. That championship season was marked by incredible efficiency, as Pavia threw for 1,728 yards and 21 touchdowns while throwing only one interception. In the championship game itself against Iowa Western, Pavia led the team to a 31-13 victory, contributing two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
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New Mexico State
Pavia carried his winning momentum into New Mexico State, where he orchestrated one of the most successful periods in the program’s modern history. In 2023, he earned the title of Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, leading the Aggies to a 10-win season (their first since 1960). In addition to nearly 3,000 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns, Pavia was a dominant runner, accumulating 923 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns that year.
This era was highlighted by a historic 31-10 road victory over Auburn, which was New Mexico State’s first-ever win against an SEC program. He was also named Quick Lane Bowl MVP in 2022, securing the win over Bowling Green with a clutch fourth-quarter performance that sealed the game.
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Vanderbilt
Pavia followed his former coach, Jerry Kill, to Vanderbilt as a graduate transfer in 2024, immediately winning the starting job and becoming the catalytic force behind the Commodores’ offensive renaissance. He quickly became one of the league's most dynamic quarterbacks, recognized as second-team All-SEC and SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2024.
Pavia set the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He finished the 2024 season with a final line of 2,293 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and only four interceptions, while rushing for 801 yards and eight scores, making the Commodores a high-scoring unit.
The crowning achievement of Pavia’s 2024 season was leading Vanderbilt to a shocking 40-35 upset victory over the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. This monumental win snapped Alabama's 23-game winning streak against Vanderbilt and marked the Commodores' first-ever victory against the nation's top-ranked team, breaking a 0-60 all-time record against AP Top-5 opponents. Pavia outplayed Heisman candidate Jalen Milroe, throwing for 252 yards and two touchdowns while leading a time-consuming offensive attack that controlled the clock and shocked the college football world.
In 2025, Pavia is leading a Vanderbilt team that is trying to defy all expectations. The Commodores have already went into Blacksburg and Columbia, beating Virginia Tech and South Carolina by multiple scores.
Diego Pavia has his own locker right in the middle of the room.
— Alaina Morris (@alainammorris) September 25, 2025
It’s the only one like this. pic.twitter.com/vac7k9p4vw
Through two seasons, he's been exactly what Vanderbilt needed at quarterback and more, and he'll go down in Commodore legacy as someone who helped turnaround the program.
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