When the Heisman Trophy finalists were announced on Monday night, Diego Pavia’s name appeared alongside three of college football’s biggest stars: Julian Sayin, Fernando Mendoza, and Jeremiyah Love. For many, it was validation.
For others, it was overdue recognition. But for those who truly watched the 2025 season unfold week after week, there’s only one conclusion: Pavia didn’t just deserve the invite to New York; he deserves the Heisman Trophy itself. This isn’t just a feel-good story about a gritty quarterback who lifted a long-struggling program. It’s a statistical, contextual, and emotional case for why Pavia is the best player in college football this year.
Do The Stats Back Up The Invite?
Let’s start with the raw production, because it’s staggering:
- Passing: 3,192 yards, 27 TD, 8 INT
- Rushing: 826 yards, 9 TD
- Totals: 4,018 yards, 36 total TD, 71.2% completion, only 8 turnovers
- All in 12 games (no conference championship game)
Pavia is the only Heisman finalist QB who didn’t get the benefit of a 13th game, with Sayin and Mendoza versus each other in the Big Ten Championship game. Despite that?
He has nearly 1,000 more total yards than either of the QBs.
Say that again. Pavia played a game and still produced 1,000 more yards than his closest competitor.
- More passing yards than both Sayin and Mendoza
- More total yards than every finalist
- Only two fewer total touchdowns than Mendoza
- Six more total touchdowns than Sayin
Here is where the Heisman case becomes undeniable:
- Vanderbilt total offensive yards: 5,622
- Yards by Pavia: 4,018
- Pavia accounted for 71.5% of the entire team’s production
Compare that to the other finalists:
- Fernando Mendoza: 51.7% of Indiana’s yardage
- Julian Sayin: 58.8% of Ohio State’s yardage
Pavia isn’t just the engine of the offense; he is the offense. Vanderbilt, a team often dismissed as a long-term rebuild or SEC punchline, won 10 games and nearly made the College Football Playoff. That doesn’t happen without Pavia. Period.
Elite Advanced Grades: He Was the Nation’s Best
The advanced metrics agree:
These numbers aren’t biased. They aren’t narratives. They are purely performance-driven. Nobody could’ve seen this coming for Pavia and that Vanderbilt team to perform the way they did this year. Every time Pavia was on the field, he elevated Vanderbilt to levels they haven’t sniffed in decades.
Story Behind The Heisman Contender
The story is what separates Pavia even more. He wasn’t a five-star recruit. He wasn’t a blue-chip signing. He wasn’t handed anything.
Pavia started at JUCO, clawed his way to New Mexico State, revived that program, and then transferred again, this time to Vanderbilt, a program many have called the toughest job in the SEC.
All he did was turn them into a 10-win contender on the brink of a CFP berth.
If the Heisman still stands for most outstanding player, and not best player on the best roster, Pavia fits the award more closely than anyone.
Johnny Manziel Comparison You Can’t Ignore
This part is almost eerie.
- Undersized
- Dual-threat
- Swagger
- Fiery competitiveness
- Game-changing mobility
- Electrifying play style
- Confidence through the roof
- Wears number 2
Sound familiar? It’s hard not to draw a comparison to Johnny Manziel, one of the most unforgettable Heisman winners ever. Manziel had more raw numbers, sure, but he also played on a roster with more NFL talent and a team at Texas A&M that wasn’t as far down the ladder as Vanderbilt.
Pavia? He built Vanderbilt’s resurgence with grit, improvisation, fearlessness, and sheer willpower.
“Johnny Football” became a household name. So why not Pavia Pigskin? The nickname writes itself, and so does the legend.
Different Logo, Different Outcome?
Let’s tell the truth: If Diego Pavia had done this at Alabama, Ohio State, USC, or Oregon, the Heisman announcement would already be a formality.
However, because he achieved it at Vanderbilt, a team historically overshadowed by the giants of the SEC, people are only now waking up to the fact that he has just completed possibly one of the greatest individual seasons in modern college football, not just individually, but also in the broader context of team and personal success. Everything mentioned aligns with what the Heisman is meant to reward.
