If there’s a team in college football that has defied all predictions this season, it’s undoubtedly the Vanderbilt Commodores. Diego Pavia has emerged as the leader of one of the biggest surprises, a team that even managed to take down the Tennessee Volunteers in the final week of the regular season.

The level the quarterback has shown throughout this campaign — especially after his standout performance against the Vols — raises the question of whether Pavia should legitimately be considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

The Commodores’ QB1 himself addressed the situation with the media after the game, noting in a thoughtful reflection that he should at the very least receive an invitation to the New York ceremony to be among the contenders for this prestigious award.

“Take me to New York,” he said. “I feel like you go look at the numbers, you look at what we got here, and obviously, we did something that’s never been done. But it’s just a blessing, man, to be here on this stage, something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid.”

Pavia’s breakout season at Vanderbilt

Diego Pavia is the undisputed engine behind the Vanderbilt Commodores’ surprisingly successful 2025 campaign. The QB has established himself as one of the SEC’s most dynamic playmakers, seamlessly blending passing precision with rushing threat.

His present statistics are outstanding: he has thrown for 2,890 yards and 25 touchdowns, while adding 515 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground. Pavia’s dual-threat production has revitalized the Vanderbilt offense and is solely responsible for placing the Commodores in the conversation for a major bowl bid, marking the program’s most impactful season in recent memory.

Other Heisman contenders

The 2025 Heisman Trophy competition is heating up, with four key players separating themselves from the field in college football‘s most prestigious individual award race.

Leading the pack are quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza of Indiana and Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt, both of whom have engineered surprising success for their programs with standout statistical performances.

They are fiercely challenged by two elite playmakers: Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who has been consistently dominant on the ground, and Ohio State’s freshman sensation, quarterback Julian Sayin, whose late-season surge has captured national attention.