If you had a time machine and made your way back to the middle of September and asked the run-of-the-mill College Football fan to tell you who Diego Pavia was, they probably would have a hard time giving that answer. Fast-forward to the middle of October, and he is all the buzz.
Pavia, the starting quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores, sent shockwaves around the college football world two weeks ago when he orchestrated a 40-35 victory over the then-ranked No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. He finished the day with 252 yards passing, 56 yards rushing, and two touchdowns.
The days following after Vanderbilt's monumental victory, Pavia signed a NIL deal with Cane's and wasn't stopping there, sharing that he was "open for business." However, he recently found himself in a surprising situation when an online dispute saw him go viral.
On October 15, 2024, sports apparel company BreakingT launched a shirt adorned with Pavia's image and the phrase "Vandy We Turnt," a slogan he coined following the victory.
Diego Pavia drops Alabama and drops an F Bomb in Vanderbilt’s stunning win over Fraudbama pic.twitter.com/bANNMhIAIV
— FNF NFL (@fnfantasyleeg) October 5, 2024
However, Pavia quickly took to social media to deny his involvement in Tweets that have since been deleted, telling fans, "This is not me. WE HAVEN'T WORKED OUT A DEAL! DO NOT ORDER." Despite this public declaration, BreakingT responded by asserting that the shirt was fully licensed, with Pavia earning royalties from each sale, reports from Front Office Sports shared.
The company clarified that the deal was approved through OneTeam Partners, a major collegiate group licensing firm that works on behalf of athletes. “Well, this is awkward. These shirts were approved and are licensed by Vanderbilt and yourself (via One Team Partners), and you’re receiving a royalty on all sales. Please DM us if you’d like anything further. Thanks.”
In the NIL era, there have been multiple instances when players have made agreements only to go viral later due to miscommunication. The most recent, of course, involved UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka, who redshirted the rest of his season due to alleged unfulfilled financial promises.
Injury Update on Diego Pavia
Diego Pavia's status for Vanderbilt's game against Ball State on Saturday has been in question. The quarterback, who suffered a knee injury in the Commodores' 20-13 last weekend, has reportedly been able to practice, but it was noted by Coach Clark Lea that he is still "sore."
Clark Lea said Diego Pavia was able to practice today, but noted that he's a little sore.
— Billy Derrick (@billyderrick10) October 15, 2024
Vanderbilt is currently listed as a 26.5-point favorite over Ball State. The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. on SEC Network+.