New Mexico State transfer QB Diego Pavia commits to Vanderbilt

Former New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia has committed to Vanderbilt out of the NCAA transfer portal. He announced his decision on X.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico native started and played in all 15 games for the Aggies in 2023. In those 15 games, Pavia completed 60.4 percent of his passes (221-336) for 2,973 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

In total, Pavia spent two seasons with New Mexico State with 4,423 passing yards, 39 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions. He was also a near 1,000-yard rusher in 2023 finishing the year with 928 rushing yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground. Pavia totaled 1,436 rushing yards during his time with the program.

Before his tenure with the Aggies, Pavia was the No. 1 quarterback at the NJCAA level having spent two years with the New Mexico Military Institute out of high school.

He penned a message to the Aggie nation when he left program right before Christmas last year:

“Aggie Nation, what a ride it has been! Thank you for your continuous support throughout my time here in Las Cruces. The friendships and memories that I have endeavored will never fade, and I will keep them close to my heart forever. Thank you to Coach Kill and the rest of the coaching staff for your dedication and your contributions made to this Aggie program.

“My family and I are eternally grateful for what this school, city, and state have prepared me for, both academically and professionally, as a student-athlete. All things considered, I have decided to enter my name and resume into the NCAA Transfer Portal. Once again, thank you, Aggie Nation,” said Pavia, via On3’s Justin Rudolph.

Last week, it was announced that Pavia’s head coach at New Mexico State, Jerry Kill, would be joining Vanderbilt’s staff in an off-field role working directly with Commodore head coach Clark Lea and offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

In 2023, Kill and Pavia led the Aggies to a 10-5 record, a Conference USA Championship appearance, and a bowl game appearance before stepping down. The 62-year-old brings over 20 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level with him to Vanderbilt, and was likely a driving force in having Vanderbilt land his former QB1.

Vanderbilt kicks off its 2024 regular season with a unique non-conference matchup at home against Virginia Tech on Aug. 31. They open SEC play three weeks later on Sept. 21 at Missouri.