Diego Pavia injury: Vanderbilt star QB leaves game vs. Texas

Diego Pavia has been a college football fan favorite, helping Vanderbilt get off to a 5-2 start. Many were. hoping the quarterback would have another vintage performance against Texas. A ranked matchup in Nashville was taking place, with a lot of the spotlight on the Commodores.

A bump in the road has been hit, though. Pavia had to leave Saturday’s game due to an injury after taking off on a run downfield. The play was a busted one by the Vanderbilt offense, with Pavia not being able to throw a screen. But a nice gain came at a cost as he immediately went into the medical tent on the sideline following the play.

UPDATE: Backup quarterback Nate Johnson played a few snaps for Vanderbilt, nearly throwing an interception. But after the two minute timeout took place, Pavia emerged from the tent and began to warm up. A brace was seen on his left leg as well.

Coming out of the commercial break, Pavia re-entered the game. While the pain appears to be there, Pavia’s character shows he is going to be out there for Vanderbilt no matter what.

Clark Lea discusses Diego Pavia as NFL prospect

Diego Pavia has been one of the stories of the season in college football. That has now led to some wonder of if he could take it to the next level in the NFL.

Clark Lea was asked about Pavia’s chances at the pros during a media availability on Thursday afternoon. He said that he thinks they’re good – although he’s going to leave it to NFL personnel to decide on what they think for themselves about the Commodores’ quarterback.

“I like them,” said Lea. “I mean, you know, again, I’ll let the head coaches, scouts, and general managers do their evaluation.”

However, Lea believes the assessment of Pavia speaks for itself. He has shown the best efficiency and intellect of his collegiate career with his play this season. He has done so while also being the leader of what they’re doing right now in Nashville.

“All I can say is that he’s efficient with the ball, he knows how to find the matchups,” Lea said. “He’s a football-smart guy so, you know, again, it’s not just about simple reads. I mean, he sees the full field. I don’t know a coach in the world that wouldn’t want that mentality and that competitive makeup in their locker room – no matter the sport.”