Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt? How QB landed with Commodores from New Mexico State

Diego Pavia introduced himself to the SEC last week when he led Vanderbilt to its biggest victory in program history as the Commodores knocked off then-No. 2 Alabama at home.

The 6-foot quarterback flipped the narrative surrounding the Commodores program by outplaying Heisman trophy candidate Jalen Milroe and leading Vanderbilt to the biggest upset of the college football season thus far.

It's a win that has been in the making for Pavia, who transferred to the Commodores over the offseason from a mid-major program in New Mexico State. It's also one that he didn't hold back from showing his emotion from, as evidenced by dropping an F-bomb live on the SEC Network in a postgame interview.

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"Look at this. Look at this. Vanderbilt, we are (expletive) turnt," Pavia said.

Now the quarterback, who turned a 22.5-point underdog into a victory, will look to lead the Commodores to back-to-back SEC wins for the first time since 2022 on Saturday when Vanderbilt travels to Kentucky.

Here's what to you need to know on what led Pavia to transfer to the Commodores:

Where did Diego Pavia transfer from?

Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State University, where he spent the last two seasons as the Aggies' starting quarterback. In those two seasons, Pavia pilled up 4,423 passing yards and 39 touchdowns with nearly 1,500 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns the Conference USA.

Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt?

Aside from getting the opportunity to play in a Power Four conference, Pavia's decision to enter the transfer portal and commit to Vanderbilt comes down to relationships with his coaches.

As noted in an ESPN article this week, Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea traveled out to Las Cruces — the town that New Mexico State is located in — to interview now-Commodores offensive coordinator Tim Beck for a coordinator position. Beck just finished up his second year as New Mexico's offensive coordinator under Jerry Kill, who is now Lea's Chief Consultant to the Head Coach and Senior Offensive Advisor.

Pavia entered the transfer portal shortly after Kill announced his retirement from New Mexico State on Dec. 24, two days after Beck was hired as Vanderbilt's new offensive coordinator. He took visits to Vanderbilt, North Texas, UTSA and Nevada — and in fact, committed to Nevada during his visit per ESPN.

That was until he didn't.

"Hey son, I'm headed to Vanderbilt as the offensive head coach. I already told everyone you're coming with me, so I'll see you there," Kill told ESPN on what he told Pavia. So instead of coming back with just Beck, Lea returned to Nashville with Beck, Kill and Pavia.

Pavia announced his commitment to Vanderbilt on Jan. 17.

"THANK YOU LORD #AnchorDown," Pavia said on X.

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Diego Pavia 247Sports rankings

• As a transfer:Three-star recruit | No. 364 ranked prospect | No. 36 ranked quarterback

The Commodores quarterback had a three-star ranking and was ranked the No. 364 overall prospect in the transfer portal this past season, per his 247Sports Composite ranking page. He was ranked the No. 36 ranked quarterback in the portal as well.

Diego Pavia stats at Vanderbilt

Here's a game-by-game breakdown of Pavia' stats with the Commodores this season:

• vs. Virginia Tech:12 of 16 (75%) passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns; 26 carries for 104 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown

• vs. Alcorn State:10 of 13 (76.9%) passing for 83 yards; 13 carries for 51 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown

• at Georgia State:18 of 33 (54.5%) passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns; 15 carries for 40 rushing yards

• at Missouri:14 of 23 (60.9%) passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns; 17 carries for 84 rushing yards

• vs. Alabama:16 of 20 (80%) passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns; 20 carries for 56 rushing yards

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why did Diego Pavia transfer to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State?