Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia earned recognition and praise during his college career. Using an unorthodox style, he helped turn Vanderbilt into a winner. His level of boldness connected him to a college football legend, Johnny Manziel. Now, with the NFL draft just weeks away, Pavia sits down to discuss the degree of mentorship with the former Heisman Trophy winner.
Diego Pavia Opens Up About Johnny Manziel’s Tutelage
Pavia sat down with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden on “Gruden’s QB Class” to discuss his thoughts about Manziel as a player.
“He’s nasty,” Pavia said about Manziel. “Like he won the Heisman as a redshirt freshman for a reason. Like, you go look at his numbers, his touchdowns. Ain’t nobody tackling him, and he’s scoring touchdowns at will.”
Manziel played 26 games at Texas A&M, accounting for 93 total touchdowns. To Pavia’s point, averaging nearly 3.6 touchdowns is not a common occurrence. Plus, Manziel competed in the SEC, widely regarded as the premier conference in FBS.
For example, over a three-game period in 2012, Manziel started games on the road against Auburn, Mississippi State, and Alabama. He threw for a total of 824 yards, ran for 311 more, and scored 9 combined touchdowns. Additionally, Manziel did not throw an interception during that stretch. Similarly, Pavia enjoyed a highlight-filled SEC career. Most notably, an upset of No. 1 Alabama, where Vanderbilt scored 40 points.
One bond Manziel and Pavia could share is their flashy demeanor, which occasionally drew criticism. For example, Manziel spent a night in jail for using a fake ID. That happened before he played a game for the Aggies.
Everything from that incident to accepting money for his autograph, which was an infraction, in the years before NIL. Pavia became known for his boldness in his quotes, from antagonizing opponents to appearing on multiple media platforms.
Pavia’s image was viewed negatively after he finished second in the Heisman voting to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He unleashed an expletive-filled tirade, chastising the voters.
After a career with 10,255 passing yards and 119 touchdowns, and the No. 1 spot in the PFSN CFB QB Impact Metric.
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While Manziel won the Heisman and was a first-round draft pick, his NFL career quickly unwound. Manziel played in 14 games with a 2-6 record. More importantly, off-field issues derailed his career.
While Manziel may not be able to advise Pavia on how to succeed as an NFL quarterback, the former Heisman winner can share a firsthand account of how to avoid issues that could derail a quarterback’s career.
