In a 2025 college football season without a clear Heisman Trophy front-runner, it’s quite possible that the sport’s most exciting player could end up lifting its most coveted piece of hardware in December.
At least he seems to think so.
After scampering for a 21-yard touchdown run to give his team a 31-21 lead over LSU late in the third quarter on Saturday, Oct. 18, and after sharing some hugs with his teammates and Army ROTC members near the end zone, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia struck the Heisman Trophy pose.
Pavia has plenty of reasons to think he has a case for college football’s most storied individual honor.
Entering Saturday’s game against LSU, Pavia had thrown for 1,409 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, along with 352 rushing yards (a team high) and two touchdowns, for a Commodores team that was 5-1 and ranked No. 18 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
Beyond his impressive numbers, the New Mexico State transfer has regularly produced electrifying plays over the past two years, using his fearless, free-wheeling style to help lift up a historically hapless Vanderbilt program to a 12-7 record since the start of the 2024 season.
Pavia’s one of a handful of quarterbacks who were among the favorites for the Heisman entering Week 8, a group that also included, among others, Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Miami’s Carson Beck, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore.
Diego Pavia stats
In Vanderbilt’s 31-24 win, Pavia completed 14 of 22 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Where Pavia really made a difference, however, was on the ground. The QB rushed for 86 yards on 17 carries and a pair of touchdowns, with him striking the Heisman pose after his second one.
All things told, Pavia accounted for 246 of Vanderbilt’s 399 yards, further bolstering his Heisman case.