Does Diego Pavia care what Auburn thinks? Pavia earned the admiration of the nation last year when he led the Vanderbilt Commodores to their first victory over Alabama in 40 years. Not only did he end the Commodores’ 23-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide, but it was the program’s first victory over a No. 1-ranked team in the nation.
However, he’s yet to earn the respect of the other Alabama football program. On an episode of Netflix’s new show, “Any Given Saturday, ” players and members of the Auburn coaching staff can be seen talking disrespectfully about the Vanderbilt football program within earshot of coach Clark Lea.
Diego Pavia, who has an NIL valuation of $1.6 million (as per On3), hasn’t taken kindly to this, and he has responded to the Auburn challenge, setting the stage for what should be an explosive encounter in 2025. During an interview on Tuesday, Pavia was asked if he thinks the Tigers are finally respecting him, to which he replied (via College Football On3’s Instagram handle):
“Oh, I don’t think so, I actually have a teammate who talks to a few guys from Auburn, and let’s just say I’ll be excited to play them this year.”
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For reference, the Commodores beat Auburn in 2024, 17-7, with Pavia throwing for 143 yards and recording two touchdown passes.
The victory was crucial for Vandy, as it allowed them to qualify for a bowl game, their first since 2018. At the Birmingham Bowl, they beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 35-27 and earned their first bowl victory since 2013.
What did Diego Pavia say about the Auburn Tigers?
For Pavia, all is fair in love and war, but if you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. The Vanderbilt quarterback seems to have no issue with the Auburn players ‘ trash-talking, but they might as well want to back up their comments.
“I mean, anytime you go into an SEC game versus an SEC opponent, it should be a big game no matter, you know,” Pavia said. “Like I said, the title’s Any Given Saturday, and if you don’t bring your A-game, you know, it’s going to be a long day for you,” Pavia said on the Paul Finebaum Show on Aug. 7.
The Vanderbilt Commodores will play the Auburn Tigers on November 8 at FirstBank Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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