Saturday night in New York saw Diego Pavia finish runner-up in the Heisman race. He didn’t take the result particularly well, but his confident swagger soon made headlines for another reason. Vanderbilt’s signal caller is listed at 6’0, a trait that traditionally plays well with NFL scouts. But photos from the ceremony told a different story.

On Vandy’s official website, the Albuquerque native is listed as a 6’0, 207-pound quarterback. However, how much of that is true? In August, ESPN’s Ryan McGee noted that, “most everyone lists him at 5-10. But when a 5-10 sportswriter looks him in the eye, he might be 5-9.” According to reports, the signal caller himself has admitted to being a “smidge under 5’10,” with scouts measuring him as 5’9 during the spring drills. That physical trait might be off-putting to the NFL scouts.

That said, recent NFL history has softened the league’s once rigid height bias at quarterback. Players like Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, and Bryce Young all entered the league below the traditional prototype, proving that arm talent, processing speed, and pocket movement can outweigh pure stature, especially in modern spread offenses.

Height inflation is hardly unique to Pavia. Across college football, listed measurements often lag behind reality, with programs routinely rounding players up an inch or two for roster optics. Official heights are typically taken when players arrive on campus, sometimes with shoes, and rarely updated unless an athlete enters a pre-draft process where verified measurements matter more.

And with 2025 expected to be his final college season, Pavia is already being evaluated through a pro lens, with NFL Draft Buzz projecting him as the No. 10 quarterback in the 2026 class and a potential third-round pick. Though him being listed as ‘6’0′ on Vandy’s athletic website might be a conscious decision. But can we really blame him? It’s no secret that the NFL has long favored bigger, sturdier quarterback frames. But at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room, things took a turn for the worse for Pavia, who was already dealing with the sting of the Heisman result.

On Dec. 13, college football saw Fernando Mendoza bring the bronze trophy to Bloomington. What followed was a photograph of all four athletes together. A 6’5 Fernando Mendoza, 6’1 Julian Sayin, and 6’0 Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love lined up next to a 6’0 Pavia, posing a flashy smile to the camera. And it did not add up. That photograph went viral among football fans, quickly highlighting Pavia’s height discrepancy.

Of course, single photographs can be deceptive. Camera angles, footwear, posture, and even where players are standing relative to one another can exaggerate height differences. Still, when placed next to multiple athletes listed at or above six feet, the visual contrast only fueled skepticism around Pavia’s official listing.

“NFL fans are speculating that Diego Pavia LIED about his height after the Heisman ceremony photos have gone viral,” Dov Kleiman wrote on X. “And he clearly doesn’t look like he’s 6 feet tall as listed on the ESPN and Vanderbilt official websites.”

The internet quickly ran with the narrative, amplifying scrutiny at a moment when Pavia was already under intense pressure.

Diego Pavia lashes out at Heisman voters after finishing second to Fernando Mendoza

Before Fernando Mendoza jogged down to clinch the  Heisman trophy. Pavia shared that he would let his friend and comedian, Theo Von, keep the Heisman trophy in the background of his podcast. However, that moment never came. Mendoza ultimately walked away with the trophy, and Pavia’s reaction suggested the loss hadn’t gone over well. Following the ceremony, he took a dig at the Heisman voters.

“F- all the voters but … family for life,” he wrote.

And that comment aged like spoiled milk. The backlash was brutal, with even Vanderbilt AD Candice Lee disappointed with his behavior. Shortly after, Pavia dropped an apology note.

“As a competitor, just like in everything I do, I wanted to win. To be so close to my dream and come up short was painful. I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to.”

So, did Diego Pavia lie about his height? Probably not in the way the internet suggests. His listed measurements appear more like a generous rounding than an outright fabrication, a common practice in college football. But in a moment already clouded by Heisman disappointment and public backlash, even small discrepancies became magnified. For Pavia, the bigger challenge now isn’t how tall he stands, it’s how he handles the scrutiny that comes with the spotlight.