Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt? How QB landed for New Mexico State Commodores

Diego Pavia introduced himself to the SEC last week when he led Vanderbilt to the biggest win in program history as the Commodores defeated then-No. 2 Alabama at home.

The 6-foot-4 quarterback turned the narrative around the Commodores program by defeating Heisman trophy candidate Jalen Milroe and leading Vanderbilt to the biggest upset of the college football season yet.

It’s a win in the making for Pavia, who transferred to the Commodores in the offseason from a mid-major program in New Mexico State. It’s also one where he hasn’t held back from showing his emotions, as evidenced by dropping an F-bomb live on the SEC Network in a postgame interview.

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‘Look here. Look. Vanderbilt, we’re (expletive) next,” Pavia said.

Now the quarterback, who turned a 22.5-point underdog into a win, will look to lead the Commodores to back-to-back SEC victories for the first time since 2022 on Saturday when Vanderbilt travels to Kentucky.

Here’s what you need to know about what made Pavia switch to the Commodores:

Where did Diego Pavia come from?

Pavia transferred from New Mexico State University to Vanderbilt, where he spent the past two seasons as the Aggies’ starting quarterback. In those two seasons, Pavia amassed 4,423 passing yards and 39 touchdowns with nearly 1,500 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in Conference USA.

Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt?

Besides getting the opportunity to play in a Power Four conference, Pavia’s decision to enter the transfer portal and commit to Vanderbilt comes down to the relationship with his coaches.

As noted in an ESPN article this week, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea traveled to Las Cruces – the city where New Mexico State is located – to interview current Commodores offensive coordinator Tim Beck for a coordinator position. Beck just completed his second year as New Mexico’s offensive coordinator under Jerry Kill, who is now Lea’s lead advisor to the head coach and senior offensive advisor.

Pavia entered the transfer portal shortly after Kill announced his retirement from New Mexico State on Dec. 24, two days after Beck was hired as Vanderbilt’s new offensive coordinator. He took visits to Vanderbilt, North Texas, UTSA and Nevada – and in fact committed to Nevada during his visit, per ESPN.

That was until he didn’t.

“Hey son, I’m going to Vanderbilt as the offensive head coach. I already told everyone you’re coming with me, so I’ll see you there,” Kill told ESPN of what he said to Pavia. So instead of coming back with just Beck, Lea returned to Nashville with Beck, Kill and Pavia.

Pavia announced his commitment to Vanderbilt on January 17.

“THANK YOU LORD #AnchorDown,” Pavia said on X.

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Diego Pavia 247Sports rankings

The Commodores quarterback had a three-star ranking and was ranked No. 364 in the transfer portal last season, according to his 247Sports Composite rankings page. He was also ranked as the No. 36 ranked quarterback in the portal.

Diego Pavia stats at Vanderbilt

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of Pavia’s stats with the Commodores this season:

• vs. Virginia Tech: 12 of 16 (75%) passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns; 26 carries for 104 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown

• vs. Alcorn State: 10 of 13 (76.9%) passing for 83 yards; 13 carries for 51 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown

• in the state of Georgia: 18 of 33 (54.5%) passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns; 15 carries for 40 rushing yards

• in Missouri: 14 of 23 (60.9%) passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns; 17 carries for 84 rushing yards

• vs. Alabama: 16 of 20 (80%) passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns; 20 carries for 56 rushing yards

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State?