Vanderbilt Commodores added yet another W feather to their hat this season. On October 18, they crushed the LSU Tigers in a 31-24 heroic feat. Clark Lea’s boys had tasted only one L this season. However, for the Saturday game, most of the credit goes to their quarterback, Diego Pavia. Pavia didn’t just air it out for 160 yards and a touchdown, completing 14 of 22 passes. The quarterback owned the ground game too, leading everyone with 17 carries, 86 yards, and two trips to the end zone. Apparently, the Colorado Buffaloes should not be having any business with Pavia. Yet then, the Well Off Media tycoon and the Buffs loyal, Deion Sanders Jr. shed the spotlight on him. 

On October 18, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders’ firstborn, Bucky, shared a Bleacher Report post on IG story. The picture had the cartoon representation of Pavia along with Johnny Manziel. The caption read, “DIEGO PAVIA HAS HIS HEISMAN MOMENT AS NO. 17 VANDY TAKES DOWN NO. 10 LSU 😤🔥246 TOTAL YDS, 3 TDS 💪.” What stood out in the picture that probably led Deion Sanders Jr. to reshare it?

Pavia is seen flaunting a finger hearts “🫰” pose. Manzeil’s picture is there since the former Texas A&M player was the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. During their face-off against LSU, after one touchdown run in the third quarter, Pavia pulled a Johnny Manziel move with his celebration. The Vanderbilt quarterback pulled off a Heisman Trophy pose and then went on to do a money gesture in the style of Manziel. 

Already, fans are intrigued about how Pavia is giving away Manziel vibes. Has to be. The former Heisman winner Manziel, who also wore No. 2 during his playing days, is Pavia’s mentor. Manziel, now 32, last took the field in 2022 with the FCF Zappers, where he doubled as player and coach in the 7-on-7 Fan Controlled Football league. However, this season, for Pavia, he has backed the quarterback all the way.

During last week’s face-off between Vanderbilt and Alabama, Manziel raised the buzz by flexing a Pavia jersey. And the hype really paid off. Against LSU, Pavia’s feat made the Commodores 6-1 for the first time since 1950. Not just this, they reopened their victory book against LSU for the first time since 1990. 

The fact that Pavia, who passed or ran for a touchdown in 24 consecutive games entering the week, has maintained his quality is what makes him the centre of the Heisman talk. And what better way for Deion Jr. to clean the dark past that his dad’s team shared with the Commodores quarterback? 

Diego Pavia’s bitter chapter with Deion Sanders in the past

At Jackson State, Shedeur Sanders was the starting quarterback. During the same time, Pavia, too, was looking for an opportunity in the program. Back then, the now Commodores quarterback had just spent two seasons in the junior college ranks and was looking for an opening. But teaming up with Deion never really happened. The reason?

On the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, Pavia opened up about the incident that led him to walk away from Jackson State. “I was thinking about going to Jackson State, but Deion was so real, he was like, ‘Hey, like you’re not playing, this ain’t a 50/50, my son’s playing regardless,’” Pavia said. “Even if you were better, like my son’s playing, regardless. He’s like, ‘We’re looking for a backup.’ He’s like, ‘If you want to come here and be a backup and I’m thinking in my head like I ain’t no (expletive) backup.’”

Maybe that’s what had left a hunger to prove himself more within Pavia. And thank the universe for that. After all these years, here he is catching all the Heisman hype. As per FanDuel, his odds skyrocketed to +1900 after the victory. Only six players in the country boast better odds, with Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (+230) and Alabama’s Ty Simpson (+270) leading the pack. And guess what?

Diego Pavia saved Clark Lea from a big face loss. After all, before the LSU face-off, the Commodores’ head coach came up with a plea for the fans. “At the end of the day, whether you’re playing in front of a hundred thousand plus crowd or you’re playing in front of your own crowd, the games are between the lines…All of that’s really important to us. I’m excited to see what the stadium looks like on Saturday,” said Lea. Vanderbilt has never had a player win the Heisman in program history. Let’s see if Pavia can bring the first-time charm.