By Mallory Mattingly
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia joined The Pivot Podcast, where he shared about his relationship with Christ.
“I went to JUCO, and I had questions about God. It was like God wasn’t really in my life. And it was like, where am I?” Pavia shared on the podcast. “And I met these two dudes, one’s a preacher right now, and one’s a coach. And these dudes led me to Christ. I swear, right now, literally the first time I ever prayed, on my hands and knees, tears were dropping from my eyes, and it was just like, tears of joy, like coming to the Lord and Savior.
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“And ever since then, it was like, this is what I needed. It was a relationship with God, and this is why I didn’t get this. This is why I didn’t get this. And it just kept building, kept building,” he continued.
“And then I met Eli Stowers. I don’t want this to be weird or anything, but he’s a Christian. He doesn’t have sex, he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t do anything. He stays in the house. He’s got a girlfriend. Like, this dude is, I wouldn’t say a perfect Christian. No one’s perfect, but this guy’s right there. And it was like, that’s why he came to New Mexico State. That’s why I’m with him here at Vanderbilt. And it was just like, dude, Christ is real, and this is the reason why I am here right now,” the quarterback added.
On Wednesday, Pavia was named one of the 2025 Heisman finalists.
According to Sports Spectrum, this season, Pavia “led Vanderbilt to a 10–2 record, claimed the 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award last week, and was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year.”
The quarterback completed his college football career with “4,018 yards of total offense with 36 total touchdowns while leading the SEC in pass efficiency (171.5), touchdown passes (27), and completion percentage (71.2%). He ranks second nationally in total offense (334.8 yards per game) and became the first Vanderbilt player ever to top 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a single game (Nov. 8).”
Unfortunately, Vanderbilt did not make the 12-team college football playoffs this season. However, Pavia and the No. 14 Commodores will face No. 23 Iowa on December 31 in the Reliaquest Bowl.
Pavia looks to end his final college football game with a win and an even greater chance of securing the Heisman trophy. Regardless, Pavia doesn’t play for the awards; he plays to honor and glorify God.
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