LAS CRUCES N.M. – Former NMSU quarterback Diego Pavia did many big things on the field for the Aggies. A year later, he is just as effective in the SEC playing against some of the best teams in the country.
Pavia came to NMSU in 2022 after winning a national championship at the junior college level for New Mexico Military Institute. The Albuquerque native always had a dream to play for the University of New Mexico Lobos, but he was never given a chance to play for them. Soon after NMSU football head coach Jerry Kill got the job in late 2021, Pavia was recruited to play for him and he seized the opportunity.
Pavia struggled to start the 2022 season as he did not get a passing touchdown in the first seven games. His playing time was inconsistent, which is something he was never used to. He got his chance on the road against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. He went 7-for-12 passing for 194 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He led the Aggies to a big 23-13 win to help them improve to 3-5 on the season at the time. This was the Aggies’ first road win since 2018. This game was all he needed to build some confidence as he finished the season strong leading the Aggies to a 7-6 record including a 24-19 bowl win against Bowling Green. This was just the program’s second bowl win in 62 years. He finished the season with 13 passing touchdowns and only six interceptions. He also accounted for a total of six rushing touchdowns throughout the season.
The following season, Pavia was the starter right off the bat and put together many great performances. He led the Aggies to one of the best seasons in school history helping them finish with a 10-5 record. The highlight of the season was when they beat Auburn 31-10 on the road at Jordan-Hare Stadium despite being 26 point underdogs. This was the program’s first-ever win over an SEC opponent.
After losing 37-10 in the New Mexico Bowl and Jerry Kill resigning from the program, Pavia quickly entered the transfer portal. He received numerous offers from big schools, but ultimately decided to commit to the Vanderbilt Commodores since Kill became the chief consultant to the head coach there.
Despite a tough loss to South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 9, the Vanderbilt Commodores have still put together an impressive season so far with a 6-4 record. They have also been ranked twice in the AP Poll. They put together one of the best wins in school history beating the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide 40-35 behind Pavia’s heroics on Saturday, Oct. 5. He went 16-for-20 passing for 252 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 56 yards.
Though many people across the world were shocked at the outcome of this game, Pavia and the Commodores knew what to expect from themselves.
“We knew what we could do,” Pavia said in the postgame conference following Vanderbilt’s upset win over Alabama. “We feel like any week that we focus on ourselves, Vanderbilt football can only beat Vanderbilt football and that’s the reality of it.”
The Commodores started their season off with a bang as they beat a well-coached Virginia Tech team 34-27. Pavia went 12-for-16 passing for 190 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He even rushed for 104 yards to give him a total of 294. He also managed to get a rushing touchdown to give him three total touchdowns.
Through his first ten games, Pavia has completed just under 61% of his passes for 1,843 yards. He has recorded 15 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has also rushed for five touchdowns to give him a total of 20 touchdowns on the season.
Pavia also recently made headlines for something not related to the field. He filed a lawsuit against the NCAA petitioning for another year of eligibility since he played two years of NJCAA football and did not have the opportunity to make NIL money while playing there since rules are different from the NCAA.
Whether he is granted another year of eligibility or decides to enter the NFL Draft, fans will be rooting for his success especially NMSU students. NMSU student Diego Perez is one of these students who wants Pavia to reach his goals and is not upset at him for leaving the program.
“I’m not mad Diego Pavia left because he has already done so much for our program and our community overall in the short time he was here,” Perez said. “It’s always good to see someone excel and take their game to the next level especially a former Aggie.”
Pavia can be seen doing his thing on the field for the Commodores Saturday, Nov. 23, as they face the #14 LSU Tigers on the road at Tiger Stadium. They will look to improve to 7-4 on the season. A time has not been announced for this game yet.
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