Diego Pavia on historic Alabama upset: 'They thought they were going to whoop our ass'

Diego Pavia ended Saturday night at Barstool Nashville with his teammates, around the corner from the Cumberland River where Vanderbilt fans tossed a goalpost hours earlier. The Commodores stunned No. 1 Alabama in the program’s first win over a top-five team as the quarterback introduced himself to the nation.

As fans stormed the field and his family swarmed around him in the moments after the historic win, the 23-year-old quarterback yelled, “Vanderbilt, we’re fucking turnt” on national television. Pavia had more than 70 family members in town for the game.

“They just thought they were going to whoop our ass,” Pavia recalled about meeting Alabama’s captains at the coin toss. “They were talking crazy, but that’s part of the game.”

The former New Mexico State transfer did not hold an FBS offer coming out of high school. He played the first two seasons of his college career at New Mexico Military Institute. And then Pavia did the impossible, he unseated the top-ranked Crimson Tide. Before Saturday, an AP No. 1 team had gone 134-1 against unranked opponents since 2008.

Pavia was 16 of 20 for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Alabama, outplaying Heisman contender Jalen Milroe for most of the game. The fifth-year quarterback constantly stepped up when Vanderbilt needed an answer. Facing a 4th-and-1 late in the third quarter and holding on to a 23-21 lead, Pavia delivered a 36-yard touchdown pass to Junior Sherrill.

“So we have it drawn up to hit one of the tight ends up the sideline, but none of them were open,” Pavia said. “So I just held on to Junior until the last second and put it up for him to go get it. He hit an extra gear to go get it.”

He almost did not even land at Vanderbilt, though. Pavia told On3 on Monday he nearly transferred to Nevada when he entered the transfer portal last December, verbally committing to head coach Jeff Choate on a visit. The quarterback left the visit and told his family of his decision, but his mother, Antoinette, urged him to call Jerry Kill. His former head coach at New Mexico State did not initially pick up the phone.

But when Pavia reached out to Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck to tell him his plans of transferring to Nevada, he soon got a callback from Kill and learned his former head coach was joining the staff. That was all he needed to know he needed to commit to the Commodores and head to Nashville.

“God gave him [Kill] freaking Stage Four cancer twice,” Pavia said. “He beat it twice. He always says, ‘The good Lord ain’t ready to take me.’ I feel like the good Lord doesn’t take him because he’s guided me on my journey. Coach Kill has just been so important to me in my life and my career as a young kid. I’ve always dreamed of playing at the highest stage. And coach Kill, with the guidance of God, brought me here. I’m here to make a statement.”

Pavia made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday. He went viral for his performance and postgame interview. He posted his agent’s cell phone number on X on Monday afternoon. NIL opportunities are going to be coming his way. He recently signed a partnership with Raising Cane’s, a spot he said his teammates love to go.

“There’s a lot of brands I’d love to work with,” he said. “Lululemon, Ferrari and Nike. Oh, and Dr Pepper, too. My initials are DP, so Dr Pepper would be amazing to work with.”

Five top-25 teams lost to unranked programs in Week 6. In Diego Pavia’s eyes, however, Vanderbilt could be a top-five team in the nation if not for a couple of slipups. The Commodores lost 36-32 at Georgia State in Week 3. They took Missouri to double overtime a week later, losing on a missed field goal.

Making a bowl game and cracking the AP Top 25 are on the table for Vanderbilt. That continues Saturday at Kentucky.

“It’s great for the university, great for the students, the fans, but more importantly, the team wants more,” he said. “We’re out to get whatever we can. I hate to say it like this, but we’re eight points away from being a top-four, top-three team in the nation. We’re 5-0 right now beating Georgia State and Missouri.”