After getting snubbed by Sunday’s playoff bracket, Vanderbilt football has officially been pushed out of playoff contention. Vanderilt HC Clark Lea isn’t taking it lightly. Infact, With the Commodores finishing a record-breaking 10–2 season, Lea is now hell-bent on making sure Diego Pavia gets the national respect he deserves in the Heisman race.

“Diego didn’t just lead our team; he 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 every Saturday. When the moment got big, he got 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿. That’s a @HeismanTrophy season!” Clark Lea hopped onto X and shared.

Lea’s argument is pretty straightforward: Diego Pavia is the real deal. A “winner and a leader” who completely transformed the program. In multiple press conferences, the coach basically asked, “What more does this kid have to do?” He’s pointing to Pavia’s incredible, dual-threat stats—over 3,045 yards passing over 815 rushing yards with 38 total touchdowns.

Lea is trying to cut through any potential bias against a smaller program like Vanderbilt. He has been very vocal about Vandy for the playoffs. The Vandy HC making it clear that Pavia’s talent stands on its own no matter the team name on his jersey.

Pavia isn’t shy about it either. He’s also campaigning for himself, telling reporters they should “Take me to New York” for the Heisman ceremony. The quarterback has already picked up some serious hardware. For example: The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

The Heisman race is tough this year, with Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza being the huge favorite after last night’s Big 10 title championship game. With the win over Ohio State, he basically a lock with odds as short as -2500. Pavia, with odds hovering around +1000 to +1400, is a distant second.

According to Kalshi, Fernando Mendoza now has a 93% chance of winning the Heisman over Diego Pavia’s 7%. But if you look at the numbers from November 1 onward, Diego Pavia is running laps around Fernando Mendoza. The former Sun Belt QB played only four games, completing 74.6% of his passes for 1,494 yards, which comes out to 373 yards per game and 12 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, The Indiana QB has under a 70% completion rate, barely above 1,000 yards, 211 yards per game and 9 tuddies.

Lea isn’t backing down. He thinks Pavia should at least be invited to the ceremony as a finalist. Lea’s arguing that he’s the “best player in the country” and deserves to be recognized alongside. And if you factor in preseason strength of schedule, it becomes pretty clear Diego Pavia should be the one getting more Heisman attention.

He just wants the college football world to see past the big-name programs and acknowledge the incredible job Pavia has done at Vanderbilt. While playing in the toughest conference in the America.  The final votes must be submitted by Monday, December 9th.

Whether it’s enough to get him to New York for the ceremony remains to be seen yet. But you can’t blame a coach for standing up for his best player and making sure everyone knows just how good Diego Pavia really is.

What’s next for Vanderbilt?

the Vanderbilt Commodores are now preparing for the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida. This is a huge opportunity for the team to make history! They will be playing against the Iowa Hawkeyes on New Year’s Eve (December 31st). Vanderbilt is aiming to get that 11th victory of the season. Diego Pavia, their Heisman candidate is suiting up for one last time.

Looking past the bowl game, the future is incredibly bright for Vanderbilt football even without Diego Pavia. Coach Clark Lea and his staff have used this season’s success to create some recruiting masterclass.

transfer portal hard to bring in even more talent. The biggest news recently was securing a commitment from Jared Curtis, a five-star quarterback for the 2026 class. He’s the highest-ranked signee the program has ever had.

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While the playoff snub stings, this season has put Vanderbilt on the national map. They’ve gone from being seen as the SEC’s underdog to a legitimate contender all within 5 years of Lea Clark ball.