The Arrest of Diego Pavia’s Brother Stains Historic Vanderbilt Moment

Diego Pavia's brother Javier was arrested by Tennessee police for causing a scene at the Vandy-Vols game.

The Arrest of Diego Pavia’s Brother Stains Historic Vanderbilt Moment

Diego Pavia's brother Javier was arrested by the police (Image via IMAGO/X)

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Diego Pavia will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Vanderbilt quarterbacks of all time. He deserves all the praise from the Commodore fans, but his brother, Javier, does not. Javier soured his brother’s historic moment by getting arrested.

On Saturday, Vanderbilt made the short trip across Nashville to take on their fierce rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers, not only for bragging rights but also in pursuit of a milestone the university had never achieved in its football history.

The Vols had a lot riding on the fixture as well. A win would have given them the same number of wins as Vanderbilt. Furthermore, they would have moved ahead of the Commodores’ final CFP ranking on head-to-head record.

Pavia foiled the Vols’ aspirations. Despite throwing 2 interceptions, the 23-year-old quarterback from Albuquerque, New Mexico, completed 268 passing yards and 1 touchdown, along with 20 carries for 160 yards and 1 rushing touchdown to secure a 45-24 win for Vanderbilt. Pavia became the first SEC player since ex-LSU and current Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels to rack up 250 passing yards, 150 rushing yards in a game.

Vanderbilt’s record improved to 10-2, the first time in the school’s history and the highest ever finish in the SEC. After twice enjoying 9-win seasons during the program’s initial years (early 1900s), Vandy waited nearly a century to taste the same success.

James Franklin, now with Virginia Tech after getting fired from Penn State, led the Commodores to consecutive 9-4 finishes in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Their best finish since Franklin’s tenure came during Pavia’s first year as the QB (in 2024, they finished 7-6 and won the Birmingham Bowl).

However, Javier Pavia’s arrest overshadowed his brother’s historic moment. Eyewitness accounts revealed that the police escorted Javier out of the stadium in cuffs.

At first, the cops planned to grab Pavia Senior for acting rudely in the bleachers, but instead, they ended up arresting Javier for causing a scene while drunk.

How did Diego Pavia perform in his second year with Vanderbilt?

Pavia could have gone to the NFL after his successful debut year with the Commodores. But he returned to improve his stats and potentially secure a higher draft pick.

The Arrest of Diego Pavia's Brother Stains Historic Vanderbilt Moment
Diego Pavia (Image via IMAGO)

It was the right call. Pavia ended the 2025 college football season with 242 pass completions (71.2%) for 3192 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 826 rushing yards, and 9 rushing scores. He’s undoubtedly in with a shout to win the Heisman Trophy alongside Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, Alabama QB Ty Simpson, and Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza.

Pavia will surely extend his stay with Vandy if they are invited to play college football playoffs. The upper echelons of the CFP rankings are congested with great teams, but it would not surprise anyone if the Commodores join the likes of the Buckeyes and the Hoosiers in the playoffs.

Diego began as a zero-star recruit coming out of High School in New Mexico. He chose the Juco (Junior College) route. He played two seasons at the New Mexico Military Academy before being recruited by the New Mexico State Aggies, following his 2021 Juco football championship win.

Pavia was named the Conference USA Player of the Year in 2023 as the leader of the Aggies. He nearly committed to play for the Nevada Wolf Pack ahead of the 2024 season before flipping his commitment to Vanderbilt to play for Clark Lea. In two seasons with Vandy, Pavia went 17-8 as the starter.

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