Vanderbilt Football GM, Barton Simmons, Joins OutKick's Hot Mic To Share QB Diego Pavia's Path To Nashville
"Bought in" is an understatement when it comes to Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia. The Vandy play-caller mortgaged the house and sold the shirt off his back (figuratively) believing that the ‘Dores can go all the way.
Scrappy and standing at 6-feet with an attitude to match, Pavia has been an unlikely gem for college football fans.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 5: Diego Pavia #2 of the Vanderbilt Commodores is interviewed by Alyssa Lang after his win against the Alabama Crimson Tide at FirstBank Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
However, behind closed doors at the Vanderbilt front office, Pavia was the guy all along.
On Saturday, Vanderbilt and Pavia did the unthinkable by defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide, 40-35.
For a team that failed to nab an SEC win last season, the stage for Vandy to get the upset win was so improbable that the victory kind of made … sense.
How did the recipe for a win come together for this 3-2 Commodores team?
Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow welcomed Vanderbilt's general manager, Barton Simmons, to Monday's edition of "Hot Mic."
Simmons shared the incredible first interaction he shared with Pavia and how the JUCO product instilled confidence within Vanderbilt that any unlikely star can achieve victory.
READ: Vanderbilt Shocks No. 1 Alabama, Sending College Football Fans Into Mass Hysteria
"Let me lay out the context around the recruitment of Diego," Simmons told Hutton and Withrow.
WATCH the full segment:
Barton Simmons First Interaction With Diego Pavia | Hot Mic W Hutton And Withrow
Simmons continued, "Tim Beck was announced as the offensive coordinator on a Sunday. The following Monday, the recruiting period ended. We had lost our three top quarterbacks and all our starting receivers in the portal. …
"We were rebuilding an offensive line. That is a brutal climate to try recruiting a quarterback, too. We were recruiting a quarterback without an offensive coordinator essentially in the first portal window. We tried to recruit receivers without a quarterback or an offensive coordinator. …
"Tim and Jerry Kill both really vouched for Diego's character, personality, and how he was going to capture a team.
"So I talked to Diego on the phone, … We're talking through these things and sort of talking about him coming. At the end of the call, it was almost like there was a moment where Diego was like, I know these guys believe in me. Beck and Kill, they believe in me …
"So [Pavia] kind of stopped before we hung up. He said, ‘Hey, coach. Just do me a favor. When you talk to Coach Lea, tell him this. Tell him … ’ And he sort of, like, thought about it. He measured his words and said, 'Tell him if he brings me to Vanderbilt, we're going to win every f*cking game we play.'"
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 5: Diego Pavia #2 of the Vanderbilt Commodores throws the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second half at FirstBank Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
It took a special brand of insanity to believe the Commodores were capable of defeating Bama, coming off a week in which the Tide beat Georgia to put themselves at the top of college football.
"By God, we're a couple of hairs away from 5-0," Simmons added.
With Diego's unique swagger fueling a Vandy program riding high from their win against Kalen DeBoer's Tide, there's no telling where this team could end up.
"We're going to approach this week against Kentucky with the same confidence and attitude," Simmons declared. "And we'll let the chips fall. But that's Diego. … I think he's been the best quarterback in college football to this point.
"I think we're seeing that he's been a great fit for Vanderbilt. … Despite what the external vision of Vanderbilt is, that is how we see this program, and we've been waiting for that level of connection with what we're building, and he's hit it."
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 5: Diego Pavia #2 of the Vanderbilt Commodores speaks to the SEC Network after the win against the Alabama Crimson Tide at FirstBank Stadium on October 5, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
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