Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia is gearing up to make the jump to the NFL. While skeptics are side-eyeing the move, he is in his final season of college football, giving back to society. While preparing for the NFL Draft, Pavia made a stop at a local school, but the goodwill gesture didn’t land with fans as he might have hoped.

“The kids and staff at UMS were great!! Thank y’all for having me and welcoming me!” Pavia commented on X, sharing a selfie with the students. “Keep chasing your dreams UMS✝️ GOD has a plan for each and every one of you💯.”

UMS-Wright is an independent co-educational prep school in Mobile, Alabama. Pavia is among the six quarterbacks in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, his last chance to pitch himself to the NFL Draft. So, before Senior Bowl practices began, the quarterback thought about interacting with the kids.

Pavia’s path to Vanderbilt was unconventional. Overlooked by D-1 programs out of high school, he started as a walk-on at the New Mexico Military Institute before transferring to New Mexico State and ultimately landing with the Commodores. 

Pavia has rewritten the Commodores’ record books, throwing for 3,539 yards and a school-best 29 touchdowns while adding 862 rushing yards and 10 more scores in 2025. He pulled off the double, beating Auburn and Alabama in the same season, a feat achieved by just 12 others since 2004. But all this does not make his NFL leap any less difficult.

In the group in Mobile, he is already in the back seat because he is the shortest and lightest. But he is not letting it drag down his confidence. The Vanderbilt quarterback turned heads after being listed at 6-foot-0 during his time at Vandy. But Senior Bowl measurements revealed he is actually 5’9 ⅞.

“A QB can be anything now,” came Pavia’s blunt response. “I have the heart of a lion. I feel like I’m a great teammate. I have fast feet, I’m mobile in the pocket and can make plays. I can improvise. I feel like I bring quite literally everything to the table but height.”

While Pavia’s pre-draft path includes connecting with students off the field, his NFL Draft rival, Fernando Mendoza, is busy making business moves with LinkedIn. Meanwhile, fans are still side-eyeing Pavia.

Diego Pavia’s latest off-field gesture fails to win over fans

Despite his on-field success and community outreach, some fans on social media were quick to criticize Pavia, with many comparing him unfavorably to Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. “Now you are trying to be a “good guy”. 😂😂 Nobody buying it. You are no Fernando and never will be,” the fan said. The reaction came even after he bagged the 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, becoming the first player at Vanderbilt. 

The criticism often circled back to the Heisman race, where Pavia finished a distant second (1,435 points) to winner Fernando Mendoza (2,362 points). Another fan mocked him over the Heisman loss, asking, “Were you telling them you should have been Heisman?”

Because Pavia’s height is shy of the 6-foot quarterback standard, his success is often overshadowed. “He looks like one of em 😂😂😂,” wrote another fan. But his short height did not stop Pavia from chasing success. He swept the honors, earning Week 6 SEC Offensive Player of the Week along with national recognition from the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Awards.

Top Stories

Tiger Woods Told to Seek Bryson DeChambeau’s Help as $500M Golf Project Hits a Rough Patch

Patrick Reed Pays a Heavy Price for Exiting LIV Golf as Worrying Update Surfaces

Did Brooks Koepka Make the Cut at Farmers Insurance Open 2026? His 2nd Round at Torrey Pines Explored

Blue Jays Told to Thwart Dodgers’ Plan After Scott Boras Pushes 24-Year-Old Star to Reject Reds’ Historic Deal

Travis Kelce Confirms Sporting Decision Away From Chiefs After TE’s Major Career News

Josh Allen Officially at Risk of Losing 21 Players as Bills Coach Quits Hours After Joe Brady Announcement

Pavia leads nationwide NIL campaign, Morgan & Morgan. Even with a strong PR team, a fan called them both out. “PR team needs to be fired ASAP 🤣🤦‍♂️ good intentions, bad foresight,” the fan commented. For context, AthleteZ PR, founded by sports marketing veteran Megan Curry, manages the quarterback’s PR.

Pavia got really upset after losing the Heisman race and dropped a blunt reaction on his Instagram story. “He’s trying to rebrand so hard 😂😂,” a fan thus wrote. Even though Pavia apologized later, it has left a blot on how his fans see him. 

It remains to be seen if Diego Pavia can shut out the noise and leave his mark in the pro league.