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By Michael Gallagher
Sports Content Coordinator
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Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had a season for the ages in 2025, but he was always facing an uphill battle in terms of winning the Heisman Trophy.
Yes, Pavia’s numbers — 3,192 yards passing, 27 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 826 yards rushing, nine rushing touchdowns — were impressive, as was his leading the Commodores to the first-ever 10-win season in school history and a No. 14 ranking in the AP poll.
But what fellow QB Fernando Mendoza did at Indiana — leading the team to its second-ever undefeated season and the first 13-win regular season in school history along with its first Big Ten championship since 1967 — was nothing short of generational.
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So it was no surprise when Mendoza upstaged Pavia Saturday, becoming the first Hoosiers player to win the Heisman Trophy. And while most were happy for Mendoza, Pavia went on a tirade about being snubbed.
First, he posted a photo from the event on his Instagram story with the caption: “F— all the voters. But… family for life,” which brought him tons of heat on social media. Pavia apologized for his behavior the next day, though it seems the damage was already done.
Apologizing was certainly the right thing to do, but ESPN’s Pat McAfee had some harsh words for Pavia during his show on Monday.
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“I don’t think I’ve seen anybody have a bigger heel-turn in one weekend than Diego Pavia,” McAfee stated. “Anybody who’s flashy and talks a lot of shit is going to be hated by a group of people regardless. But then this weekend, with how it all went, I think a lot of people kind of turned on Diego Pavia.
“… I saw a lot of people saying, ‘Let’s make sure we keep this energy that we had for Shedeur Sanders doing in the Draft that we have for Diego Pavia.’ I don’t think anybody’s really talking about Diego Pavia being in the NFL, period.”
Pavia was always considered a long shot to hear his name called in the 2026 NFL draft. Some scouts believed he could sneak in as a possible Day 3 pick, but given his post-Heisman antics, that certainly seems to be in question.
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