
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
Career highs
484passing yards, career highvs. Kentucky, 20255touchdown passes, career hightwice; last vs. Kentucky, 2025165rushing yards, career highat Tennessee, 20253rushing touchdowns, career highat Liberty, 2022Honors
- 2023Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year
- 2024SEC Newcomer of the Year
- 2024Second-team All-SEC
- 2025Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
- 2025Sporting News College Football Player of the Year
- 2025SEC Offensive Player of the Year
- 2025First-team All-SEC
- 2025Second in the Heisman vote
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
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2020 | New Mexico Military | 8 | 8 | 68 | 113 | 60.2 | 916 | 10 | 3 | 152.2 | 86 | 449 | 5.2 | 8 |
| 2021 | New Mexico Military | 13 | 13 | 121 | 215 | 56.3 | 1,728 | 21 | 1 | 155.1 | 110 | 658 | 6.0 | 7 |
| 2022 | New Mexico State | 12 | 8 | 101 | 190 | 53.2 | 1,450 | 13 | 6 | 133.5 | 93 | 508 | 5.5 | 6 |
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 15 | 15 | 221 | 366 | 60.4 | 2,973 | 26 | 9 | 147.1 | 176 | 923 | 5.2 | 7 |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 13 | 13 | 177 | 298 | 59.4 | 2,293 | 20 | 4 | 143.5 | 193 | 800 | 4.1 | 8 |
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 13 | 13 | 267 | 378 | 70.6 | 3,539 | 29 | 8 | 170.4 | 167 | 862 | 5.2 | 10 |
| Career | 74 | 70 | 955 | 1,560 | 12,899 | 119 | 31 | 825 | 4,200 | 46 | ||||
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
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | New Mexico State | 2 | QB | Fr. | ||
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 2 | QB | So. | ||
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 2 | QB | Jr. | ||
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 2 | QB | Sr. | 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
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage | Adj. pass | Adj. rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | New Mexico State | 275 | 0.42 | 82nd (n=250) | 0.32 | 114.5 | 39% | 0.26 | 0.27 |
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 535 | 0.38 | 65th (n=255) | 0.32 | 201.5 | 59% | 0.38 | 0.34 |
| 2024 | Vanderbilt | 486 | 0.30 | 49th (n=238) | 0.30 | 145.8 | 63% | 0.47 | 0.31 |
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 542 | 0.49 | 97th (n=314) | 0.24 | 267.4 | 67% | 0.60 | 0.41 |
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
| Season | Team | Success | Depth | After catch | Deep throws | Deep completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 56% | 8.9 yds | 6.8 yds | 23 of 181 | 26% |
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
| Season | Team | Success | Line yards | Second level | Open field | Stuffed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Vanderbilt | 56% | 4.00 | 1.70 | 1.70 | 13% |
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
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | vs. | W 45–3 | 20 | 25 | 275 | 3 | 0 | 44 |
| Sep 6 | at | W 44–20 | 12 | 18 | 193 | 2 | 1 | 61 |
| Sep 13 | at | W 31–7 | 18 | 25 | 177 | 2 | 1 | 24 |
| Sep 20 | vs. | W 70–21 | 18 | 24 | 245 | 1 | 0 | 86 |
| Sep 27 | vs. | W 55–35 | 26 | 34 | 321 | 5 | 1 | 79 |
| Oct 4 | at | L 14–30 | 21 | 35 | 198 | 1 | 1 | 58 |
| Oct 18 | vs. | W 31–24 | 14 | 22 | 160 | 1 | 0 | 86 |
| Oct 25 | vs. | W 17–10 | 10 | 19 | 129 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Nov 1 | at | L 31–34 | 27 | 38 | 365 | 3 | 0 | 43 |
| Nov 8 | vs. | W 45–38 | 25 | 33 | 377 | 3 | 0 | 112 |
| Nov 22 | vs. | W 45–17 | 33 | 39 | 484 | 5 | 1 | 48 |
| Nov 29 | at | W 45–24 | 18 | 28 | 268 | 1 | 2 | 165 |
| Dec 31 ✦ | vs. | L 27–34 | 25 | 38 | 347 | 2 | 0 | 36 |
2024 Vanderbilt 13 games, 2,293 passing yards, 20 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs. | W 34–27 | 12 | 16 | 190 | 2 | 0 | 104 |
| Sep 7 | vs. | W 55–0 | 10 | 13 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 51 |
| Sep 14 | at | L 32–36 | 18 | 33 | 270 | 2 | 0 | 40 |
| Sep 21 | at | L 27–30 | 14 | 23 | 178 | 2 | 0 | 84 |
| Oct 5 | vs. | W 40–35 | 16 | 20 | 252 | 2 | 0 | 56 |
| Oct 12 | at | W 20–13 | 15 | 18 | 143 | 2 | 1 | 53 |
| Oct 19 | vs. | W 24–14 | 17 | 31 | 275 | 1 | 0 | 82 |
| Oct 26 | vs. | L 24–27 | 16 | 29 | 143 | 2 | 2 | 67 |
| Nov 2 | at | W 17–7 | 9 | 22 | 143 | 2 | 0 | 26 |
| Nov 9 | vs. | L 7–28 | 16 | 31 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 65 |
| Nov 23 | at | L 17–24 | 13 | 24 | 186 | 1 | 0 | 43 |
| Nov 30 | vs. | L 23–36 | 8 | 17 | 104 | 1 | 1 | 45 |
| Dec 27 ✦ | vs. | W 35–27 | 13 | 21 | 160 | 3 | 0 | 84 |
2023 New Mexico State 15 games, 2,973 passing yards, 26 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26 | vs. | L 30–41 | 16 | 27 | 248 | 3 | 2 | 20 |
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 58–21 | 16 | 20 | 317 | 2 | 0 | −8 |
| Sep 9 | at | L 17–33 | 12 | 21 | 150 | 1 | 2 | 63 |
| Sep 16 | at | W 27–17 | 9 | 14 | 203 | 2 | 0 | 96 |
| Sep 23 | at | L 17–20 | 9 | 15 | 155 | 2 | 0 | 97 |
| Oct 4 | vs. | W 34–17 | 20 | 31 | 256 | 2 | 1 | 46 |
| Oct 11 | vs. | W 27–13 | 20 | 36 | 286 | 2 | 0 | 115 |
| Oct 18 | at | W 28–7 | 15 | 25 | 186 | 2 | 0 | 96 |
| Oct 24 | at | W 27–24 | 10 | 19 | 95 | 1 | 0 | 67 |
| Nov 4 | vs. | W 13–7 | 16 | 31 | 220 | 0 | 1 | 67 |
| Nov 11 | at | W 38–29 | 14 | 24 | 141 | 2 | 0 | 44 |
| Nov 18 | at | W 31–10 | 19 | 28 | 201 | 3 | 0 | 35 |
| Nov 25 | vs. | W 20–17 | 23 | 34 | 269 | 1 | 2 | 68 |
| Dec 1 | at | L 35–49 | 11 | 16 | 188 | 3 | 0 | 45 |
| Dec 16 ✦ | vs. | L 10–37 | 11 | 25 | 58 | 0 | 1 | 72 |
2022 New Mexico State 12 games, 1,442 passing yards, 13 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27 | vs. | L 12–23 | 9 | 20 | 75 | 0 | 3 | 32 |
| Sep 1 | at | L 0–38 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Sep 10 | at | L 13–20 | 7 | 20 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
| Sep 17 | at | L 7–66 | 6 | 19 | 52 | 0 | 1 | −21 |
| Sep 24 | vs. | W 45–26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Oct 1 | vs. | L 7–21 | 8 | 14 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Oct 29 | at | W 23–13 | 7 | 12 | 194 | 2 | 0 | 56 |
| Nov 12 | vs. | W 51–14 | 13 | 18 | 146 | 2 | 0 | 81 |
| Nov 19 | at | L 14–45 | 6 | 17 | 76 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Nov 26 | at | W 49–14 | 16 | 21 | 214 | 3 | 0 | 125 |
| Dec 3 | vs. | W 65–3 | 9 | 13 | 323 | 4 | 0 | 29 |
| Dec 26 ✦ | vs. | W 24–19 | 17 | 29 | 167 | 2 | 1 | 65 |
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).
| Drill | Combine 2026 | Combine or pro day 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 5′10⅛″ | |
| Weight | 207 lb | |
| Arm length | 28⅝″ | |
| Hand size | 9⅝″ | |
| Wingspan | 73½″ | |
| 40-yard dash | 4.83 s | |
| 10-yard split | 1.65 s | |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.38 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).
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