Vanderbilt quarterback and 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist Diego Pavia revealed this week that Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders once tried to recruit him — but with a twist.
Speaking on The Pivot Podcast, Pavia shared how Sanders, then head coach at Jackson State, reached out with an honest pitch.
“Coach Prime offered me at Jackson State,” Pavia said. “But he was so real. He told me, ‘Hey, we’re looking for a backup. You’re not playing over my son, even if he gets hurt.’ At least he was real, you know?”
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That son, of course, was Shedeur Sanders, who lit up Jackson State before following his father to Colorado.
Shedeur later became a star with the Buffaloes, earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors before the Cleveland Browns drafted him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
With Shedeur locked in as Jackson State’s QB1 back then, Pavia decided to chart his own course. He signed with New Mexico State in 2022 after two standout seasons at the New Mexico Military Institute.
The decision paid off. At NMSU, Pavia proved himself as a dual-threat dynamo — throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding another 923 yards and seven scores on the ground in 2023.
The performance earned him Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, and soon after, an offer to step up to the SEC with Vanderbilt. Once in Nashville, Pavia didn’t just fit in — he flourished. After a solid 2024 season that saw Vanderbilt finish with its first winning record since 2013, Pavia exploded in 2025.
He posted career-best numbers across the board — 71.2% completions, 3,192 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, plus nearly 830 rushing yards and another nine scores — as he led the Commodores to a 10-2 record, the best in school history.
But in the end, it worked out for everyone. Sheduer led Jackson State to a pair of SWAC championships, was named FCS freshman of the year, and played in two Celebration Bowls.
Pavia eventually developed into one of the best QBs in the country.
