Diego Pavia at Vanderbilt, 2022
Photo: Stephen Ferguson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Quarterback, Vanderbilt (from New Mexico State), 2022–⁠25

Diego Pavia

Number
No. 2
Height
6′0″
Weight
207 lb
Class (2025)
Senior
Hometown
Albuquerque, NM
Born
Feb 16, 2002, in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Wikipedia readers: about 90,679 a month over the past year

Diego Pavia played quarterback at New Mexico State (2022–⁠23) and Vanderbilt (2024–⁠25). He won the 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He finished second in the 2025 Heisman vote.

At a glance

Best season
3,539
Passing yards, 2025 (Vanderbilt, 10–⁠3)
Best game
484 yards
Vs. Kentucky, week 13, 2025: No. 1 passing game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 9
In FBS in passing touchdowns, 2025

Career highs

484passing yards, career highvs. Kentucky, 20255touchdown passes, career hightwice; last vs. Kentucky, 2025165rushing yards, career highat Tennessee, 20253rushing touchdowns, career highat Liberty, 2022

Honors

All-America: Sporting News 2025; AP second team 2025; CBS Sports 2025

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Season by season, from Wikipedia

SeasonTeamGamesPassingRushing
GGSCmpAttPctYdsTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2020New Mexico Military886811360.2916103152.2864495.28
2021New Mexico Military131312121556.31,728211155.11106586.07
2022New Mexico State12810119053.21,450136133.5935085.56
2023New Mexico State151522136660.42,973269147.11769235.27
2024Vanderbilt131317729859.42,293204143.51938004.18
2025Vanderbilt131326737870.63,539298170.41678625.210
Career74709551,56012,899119318254,20046

From the college statistics table in Pavia’s Wikipedia article (Diego Pavia, CC BY-SA), season by season as the article gives them, bowls included where it counts them. Our own records come from box scores, which start in 2004 (tackles in 2016, kickoff returns in 2009).

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2022New Mexico State2QBFr.
2023New Mexico State2QBSo.
2024Vanderbilt2QBJr.
2025Vanderbilt2QBSr.6′0″207

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsageAdj. passAdj. rush
2022New Mexico State2750.4282nd (n=250)0.32114.539%0.260.27
2023New Mexico State5350.3865th (n=255)0.32201.559%0.380.34
2024Vanderbilt4860.3049th (n=238)0.30145.863%0.470.31
2025Vanderbilt5420.4997th (n=314)0.24267.467%0.600.41

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Passing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessDepthAfter catchDeep throwsDeep completed
2025Vanderbilt56%8.9 yds6.8 yds23 of 18126%

Success: passes that kept the offense on schedule. Depth: how far downfield his passes traveled in the air, on average. After catch: yards his receivers gained after the catch, per completion. Deep throws: the play-by-play gives depth and direction for about half of a passer’s throws; this is how many of those went deep, and how many of the deep ones were caught. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Rushing detail

SeasonTeamSuccessLine yardsSecond levelOpen fieldStuffed
2025Vanderbilt56%4.001.701.7013%

Where his yards came from, per carry: line yards are the ones credited to the blockers (the first few, and losses), second level the yards 5 to 10 past the line, open field those beyond 10. Success: carries that kept the offense on schedule. Stuffed: carries stopped at or behind the line. From CollegeFootballData, FBS games, 2025 on.

Game by game

2025 Vanderbilt 13 games, 3,539 passing yards, 29 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 30vs.Charleston SouthernW 45–⁠320252753044
Sep 6atVirginia TechW 44–⁠2012181932161
Sep 13atSouth CarolinaW 31–⁠718251772124
Sep 20vs.Georgia StateW 70–⁠2118242451086
Sep 27vs.Utah StateW 55–⁠3526343215179
Oct 4atAlabamaL 14–⁠3021351981158
Oct 18vs.LSUW 31–⁠2414221601086
Oct 25vs.MissouriW 17–⁠1010191290120
Nov 1atTexasL 31–⁠3427383653043
Nov 8vs.AuburnW 45–⁠38253337730112
Nov 22vs.KentuckyW 45–⁠1733394845148
Nov 29atTennesseeW 45–⁠24182826812165
Dec 31 ✦vs.IowaL 27–⁠3425383472036
2024 Vanderbilt 13 games, 2,293 passing yards, 20 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 31vs.Virginia TechW 34–⁠27121619020104
Sep 7vs.Alcorn StateW 55–⁠01013830051
Sep 14atGeorgia StateL 32–⁠3618332702040
Sep 21atMissouriL 27–⁠3014231782084
Oct 5vs.AlabamaW 40–⁠3516202522056
Oct 12atKentuckyW 20–⁠1315181432153
Oct 19vs.Ball StateW 24–⁠1417312751082
Oct 26vs.TexasL 24–⁠2716291432267
Nov 2atAuburnW 17–⁠79221432026
Nov 9vs.South CarolinaL 7–⁠2816311660065
Nov 23atLSUL 17–⁠2413241861043
Nov 30vs.TennesseeL 23–⁠368171041145
Dec 27 ✦vs.Georgia TechW 35–⁠2713211603084
2023 New Mexico State 15 games, 2,973 passing yards, 26 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 26vs.MassachusettsL 30–⁠4116272483220
Sep 2vs.Western IllinoisW 58–⁠21162031720−8
Sep 9atLibertyL 17–⁠3312211501263
Sep 16atNew MexicoW 27–⁠179142032096
Sep 23atHawai’iL 17–⁠209151552097
Oct 4vs.Florida InternationalW 34–⁠1720312562146
Oct 11vs.Sam HoustonW 27–⁠13203628620115
Oct 18atUTEPW 28–⁠715251862096
Oct 24atLouisiana TechW 27–⁠241019951067
Nov 4vs.Middle TennesseeW 13–⁠716312200167
Nov 11atWestern KentuckyW 38–⁠2914241412044
Nov 18atAuburnW 31–⁠1019282013035
Nov 25vs.Jacksonville StateW 20–⁠1723342691268
Dec 1atLibertyL 35–⁠4911161883045
Dec 16 ✦vs.Fresno StateL 10–⁠371125580172
2022 New Mexico State 12 games, 1,442 passing yards, 13 TD
DateOpponentResultCmpAttYdsTDIntRush
Aug 27vs.NevadaL 12–⁠23920750332
Sep 1atMinnesotaL 0–⁠3825100014
Sep 10atUTEPL 13–⁠207201000069
Sep 17atWisconsinL 7–⁠666195201−21
Sep 24vs.Hawai’iW 45–⁠2601000–
Oct 1vs.Florida InternationalL 7–⁠2181485004
Oct 29atMassachusettsW 23–⁠137121942056
Nov 12vs.LamarW 51–⁠1413181462081
Nov 19atMissouriL 14–⁠45617760150
Nov 26atLibertyW 49–⁠14162121430125
Dec 3vs.ValparaisoW 65–⁠39133234029
Dec 26 ✦vs.Bowling GreenW 24–⁠1917291672165

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

Played in the 2026 Senior Bowl (National team, lost 9–⁠17).

DrillCombine 2026Combine or pro day 2026
Height5′10⅛″
Weight207 lb
Arm length28⅝″
Hand size9⅝″
Wingspan73½″
40-yard dash4.83 s
10-yard split1.65 s
20-yard shuttle4.38 s

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

Is this you, or do you know of something wrong or missing here? Suggest a correction. We check each one against a source before changing the page.