Diego Pavia claps back at Virginia Tech over in-game trash talk, comparison to Trace McSorley

Diego Pavia made a name for himself late last season, leading New Mexico State to a win against Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The quarterback decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal and wound up at Vanderbilt with head coach Clark Lea. After going through a competition, Pavia emerged as the Commodores’ starter.

His tenure in Nashville got off to a great start, upsetting Virginia Tech at home in overtime. Apparently, there was some trash-talking occurring during the game, with Pavia revealing a Hokies player called him a “poor man’s Trace McSorley.” Pavia made sure to do most of his talking through his play.

CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use code ON3 to receive a guaranteed $50 once you play $5 in lineups!

“Someone said I’m a poor man’s Trace McSorley,” Pavia said during his postgame press conference. “When you stop me, then you can talk.”

McSorley was not a bad quarterback by any means, having success with Penn State. He helped the Nittany win the Big Ten during the 2016 season and played in the Rose Bowl after just missing out on the College Football Playoff. Just under 10,000 career passing yards on McSorley’s resume before being drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens.

Watch College Football Games Live -Try for Free Fubo! Click HERE NOW

Not many Big Ten teams were able to stop McSorley and Virginia Tech was in the same boat against Pavia on Saturday.

Pavia likely just wants there to be some respect to his name. No better way to make your presence known than coming from behind and earning a win in overtime, a huge victory for the program over an ACC opponent — the school’s first P5 win since taking down Florida at the end of the 2022 season.

In just 16 pass attempts, Pavia completed 12 while throwing for 190 yards and two touchdowns. His legs were a major factor as well, being Vanderbilt’s leading rusher at 104 yards on 26 carries, adding another score. This was something the quarterback did on a regular basis with New Mexico State and now got to showcase his skillset at a power conference level.

Next week against Alcorn State will give the Commodores a great opportunity to go 2-0, something the program accomplished last season too. Pavia is officially set as the starting quarterback and looking to bring some season-long sustained success back to Vanderbilt.