Diego Pavia is an American college football quarterback known for transforming Vanderbilt University’s offense and emerging as one of the nation’s leading dual‑threat signal-callers. He played at New Mexico Military Institute and New Mexico State before transferring to Vanderbilt, where he became the Commodores’ starting quarterback and a team captain[4][1]. At Vanderbilt Pavia has compiled prolific statistics and earned multiple national and conference honors; in 2024 he was the Associated Press Newcomer of the Year, an AP All‑SEC second‑team selection, SEC Newcomer of the Year, and a Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist while throwing for 2,293 yards with 20 touchdowns and rushing for 801 yards and eight scores that season[1]. In 2025 he produced a career‑best season, passing for over 3,100 yards with a school‑record 27 passing touchdowns, adding 826 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, and leading the SEC in several efficiency categories while guiding Vanderbilt to its first double‑digit win season in program history[2]. Pavia’s on‑field achievements have been recognized with major awards: he won the 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top upper‑class quarterback and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2025, underscoring his national relevance[2][6]. Scouts and media have highlighted his accuracy, decision‑making, and ability to extend plays with his legs, traits that helped him break or set multiple Vanderbilt program records for total offense and passing efficiency[2][1]. Beyond statistics, Pavia’s rise from a lightly recruited high‑school prospect and junior‑college starter to a nationally prominent quarterback has been noted as a story of perseverance; articles and team bios cite his leadership, academic work (he majored in biology at New Mexico State), and community engagement as part of his profile[3][1]. As of late 2025 he remains a central figure in college football conversations about award candidates and NFL prospects due to his recent awards, statistical production, and Vanderbilt’s program turnaround[2][6].