Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia finished the regular season with 3,192 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions, while adding 826 rushing yards and nine more scores. He led the Commodores to a 10-2 season and into the outer edge of the College Football Playoff discussion. As he emerged as a 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist, the cameras began to pan toward the stands, where his family had become a constant presence. That visibility made his brothers part of the story.

Roel Pavia Jr.

The oldest brother, Roel Pavia Jr., has been Diego Pavia’s most consistent presence, from New Mexico State to Vanderbilt. At 26, he understands the grind because he lived it himself, competing in football and wrestling at Briar Cliff University, an NAIA program in Iowa. He has openly said Diego was always the better athlete, even as kids, recalling how the physical gap became obvious once his younger brother stopped growing. 

Roel has also never softened his opinion about where his brother stands in Vanderbilt history. 

“He’s the best Vanderbilt football player ever,” he told Sports Illustrated. “Without a doubt.” 

The statement drew attention because of its bluntness, not because it was meant to provoke debate. Vanderbilt does not have a long list of Heisman finalists or 10-win QBs. Roel’s confidence reflects how the family views Diego’s season internally and that confidence also made the family impossible to ignore.

Javier Pavia

Javier Pavia occupies a similar space in Diego Pavia’s orbit. At 25, he became a familiar figure on game days, most notably when he stood front row at ESPN’s College GameDay with a “Pavia 4 Heisman” sign before Vanderbilt’s October 4 matchup against Alabama. It was a moment that captured the family’s belief in Diego’s candidacy and their willingness to lean into national attention. But visibility cuts both ways. 

During the 2025 season, Javier was arrested for public intoxication and resisting arrest on two separate occasions. The first came after Vanderbilt’s season-opening win over Charleston Southern in Nashville. Roel was also arrested after the game, facing public intoxication and resisting arrest charges, along with an additional assault-on-officer charge. The second followed the rivalry game against Tennessee in Knoxville on November 29. The incidents added an uncomfortable layer to Vanderbilt’s breakthrough season and shifted attention away from the field at moments when the program least needed it.

Diego Pavia did not avoid the issue when asked. 

“I for sure told my brother,” he said via On3. “Hey… I need you to, you know, stop.” 

He also questioned how the Tennessee situation unfolded. 

“I think they were being a little bit unfair at Tennessee,” he added. “He was just waving his flag and they took him for intoxication. Everyone’s intoxicated in the damn arena.” 

The quarterback made clear he had sat Javier down and addressed it directly, drawing a line between family loyalty and personal accountability. That tension leads naturally to the foundation of the Pavia household, where accountability was non-negotiable and effort was expected.

The family foundation behind the Diego Pavia’s spotlight

Diego Pavia was raised by his mother, Antoinette Padillaq, a nurse and single parent who brought up four children. Pavia has consistently credited her for his work ethic. 

“My mom, she’s hard-hat, lunch-pail,” he told The Athletic. “She grew up with 13 brothers and sisters in a single home.” 

Padilla has spoken about her pride in seeing her son become a role model for kids from similar backgrounds, a role he has embraced.

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The youngest Pavia sibling, Abrielle, represents the next chapter. She is the family’s only sister and a standout basketball player in New Mexico, already receiving college interest as early as eighth grade. As of December 2025, she is a high school freshman, with time still on her side before any college decision arrives. Her emergence underscores that athletic ambition runs deep in the family, not just in Diego Pavia’s generation.

Diego Pavia has not distanced himself from any of it. 

“They haven’t missed a game,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve got a great family. I love them to death and family comes before anything.” 

As Diego Pavia’s career advances and the scrutiny intensifies, the role his family plays will continue to shape how the public understands the QB behind the numbers.