Football

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia 'sorry for cussing' on TV, knows God is working in his life

By Kevin Mercer Oct 15, 2024
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia runs against Alabama, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Followers of Christ are a lot of things: holy and blameless, a chosen people and a royal priesthood, beloved children of God and heirs according to the promise. The list could go on.

But one thing followers of Christ aren’t? Finished products. God the Holy Spirit is still at work in the hearts of all of His kids.

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Vanderbilt graduate senior quarterback Diego Pavia is no different. Over the past few weeks, the fact that he too is a work in progress has been made acutely and publicly known.

Amid the mayhem on Oct. 5 as fans stormed the field at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium following his team’s shocking upset over then-No. 1 Alabama, Pavia was interviewed by the SEC Network and asked what was going through his mind.

“It’s literally all God’s timing,” he said. “Literally from the jump. God gave me a vision when I was a little kid, and He don’t let back any promises. It’s God’s timeline. I’m super thankful.”

Pavia then credited his Commodore teammates and took a moment to look at the crowd.

“Vandy,” he yelled, “we’re f—–g turnt!”

Pavia’s public sin — shown to hundreds of thousands on television — brought dishonor to God’s name and damaged his Christian witness. The day after his impressive performance and no longer caught up in the emotions of the program-defining win, Pavia realized where he went wrong and took to X to apologize.

“I’m sorry for cussing last night but, God you are the TRUTH AND ALL THE GLORY GOES TO YOU!! For yall that don’t know him, get to know him. HE IS MAGICAL!!”

Later in the week, Pavia continued to thank God for His “guidance and patience” and expressed his desire that others would come to know Him as he has.

Leadership, confidence, toughness, resilience, determination, exuberance and a whole lot of skill combine to form Diego Pavia the football player. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native’s style of play is one of the most unique in the nation, charismatic even. It’s known around Nashville as the Pavia Experience, and thus far the Pavia Experience has electrified the Vanderbilt program.

A transfer from New Mexico State, Pavia has completed 69.1% of his passes for 1,116 yards, 10 touchdowns and only one interception in 2024, and he’s added another 388 yards and two scores on the ground.

The world witnessed a bit of the Pavia Experience in his interview after beating Alabama, but as is always the case with celebrities, there is much more to Pavia than what the cameras capture on Saturdays.

Pavia is also a loving older brother, committed to seeing his siblings — Roel Jr., Javy and especially Abrielle — mature into adults who follow Jesus.

“I try to get her to follow Christ,” Pavia told Rivals.com last week about Abrielle. “Because I was raised in a Catholic home but really never went to church, never really anything with that so I try to get her in the Gospels. I’m a Christian so I try to tell her what’s right, what’s wrong.”

Pavia is passionate about the spiritual growth of his loved ones because it’s a journey he himself is on.

“I didn’t have a relationship with God ever, just was kinda living out doing my own thing,” Pavia told Rivals.com. “[I was] doing whatever I wanted. I got into trouble sometimes and I really didn’t know what to do.”

That’s where Pavia — considered undersized for a quarterback at 6 feet and 200 pounds — found himself while playing at New Mexico Military Institute, a junior college in Roswell, N.M. In God’s providence, however, it was there that Pavia developed a friendship with a group of teammates who gave him a Bible and invited him to a Bible study.

“I didn’t know that there was something bigger than myself, my ego was so big,” Pavia told Rivals.com about that time. “We’d have Bible study every Sunday and I would hate going. It’d be like ‘I don’t need it,’ and sooner or later it was like [God] started working in my life.”

Pavia’s performance on the field at NMMI eventually drew the attention of New Mexico State coaches, and his performance there eventually landed him in the SEC. Now in his first year as a Commodore, he’s found a safety blanket both on the field and off in tight end and roommate Eli Stowers.

“Eli is probably the most important person who’s brought me to Christ,” Pavia told Rivals.com. “I kinda get emotional about it, because he’s someone who lives the closest I’ve ever seen to Christ. He’s someone who I look up to, who I kinda want to be like in my faith. He’s really held me to the standard.”

For years, God has been relentlessly pursuing Pavia through His Word, through His Church, and according to Pavia even through a dream, which he alluded to in his memorable on-field interview.

“I still sin but I’ve been trying to be better,” Pavia told Rivals.com. “I’ve gotta watch my mouth a little bit more.”

Pavia did just that on Saturday, when he had another on-field interview with the SEC Network after Vanderbilt’s 20-13 win at Kentucky. He nearly let the s-word slip, but he checked himself and moved on. As the interviewer pointed out, “That’s growth right there, buddy. You just held in that cuss word right there.”

“Yes sir,” Pavia affirmed. “God bless you guys. I want to shout out God too. If it wasn’t for Him, my life wouldn’t have changed. I wouldn’t have been on this platform. Shoutout God. He’s [taking] care of me. He’s the reason.”

Pavia knows he didn’t go to junior college for his perceived lack of football ability, although that’s what the world will tell him. He knows, ultimately, he went to junior college because that’s where God began His saving work in his life.

“Me being here (at Vandy), it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t know Christ and if I didn’t start taking my journey and things like that seriously,” Pavia told Rivals.com. “… I couldn’t go straight to the SEC, because I would’ve never known God.”

Pavia is on a journey with Christ, just like all believers. God has everyone right where they should be. For Pavia, right where he should be is capturing the heart of a nation as he leads Vanderbilt football.

The Commodores step out of SEC competition for a week as they take on Ball State (2-4) this Saturday. The game is set for 7 p.m. ET in Nashville.

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