Diego Pavia injury update: Clark Lea shares latest on Vanderbilt QB, credits him for battling through

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia had a bit of a scare against the Kentucky Wildcats, suffering an apparent knee injury in the game. He was able to play through the injury, however, and finished the game under center for Vanderbilt.

Following the game, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea praised his quarterback, sharing the latest on his status and praising him for battling through the injury scare.

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“Short of amputation, I think that dude’s playing,” Clark Lea said. “He’s tough. I’m not sure of the specific [injury]. He got his knee banged up. They just wanted to check it out. He was fine. He’s going to get banged up. This is a tough stretch. So, he’s a fun player to have on our team. He fights every night. He’s got the chip on the shoulder that defines our program, and he’s going to be okay.”

Pavia limped off the field under his own power following the injury. Despite that, he was clearly able to play well despite the pain that he was dealing with.

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Diego Pavia went 15 of 18 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception. On top of that, Pavia ran for 53 yards, with his mobility being a key part of his game throughout his college career. Still, even playing through the injury, Pavia was able to lead the Commodores to a win over Kentucky by a score of 20-13.

That came on the back of an emotional upset win over Alabama. It was a situation where the Commodores were set up for a letdown loss.

Following the game, Diego Pavia shared his willingness to play through injury for Jerry Kill, an assistant coach at Vanderbilt who was his head coach at New Mexico State.

“I mean, if you look at Jerry Kill. What he’s done for us, man. I will not quit on that guy. I don’t care if I’ve got a broken arm, broken anything. I do this for Jerry Kill. The stuff he has problems with off this field, way bigger than an injury like I got,” Pavia said. “I’m willing to die for him. I want to shoutout God too. If it wasn’t for him, my life wouldn’t have changed. I wouldn’t have been here on this platform. Shoutout God.”

Clearly, Diego Pavia is passionate about going out there and competing for the coach who gave him an FBS opportunity at New Mexico State before helping to bring him to the SEC ahead of the 2024 season and it appears he’ll be healthy enough to play against Ball State next week.