Former Vanderbilt star Diego Pavia pursuing playing in UFL: 'My journey's not done'

Diego Pavia's marathon college career finally reached its conclusion last season. But just because Pavia's not currently rostered by an NFL team doesn't mean his playing days are behind him.

The former Vanderbilt star quarterback's made that clear.

"My journey's not done," Pavia, 24, said in a video clipped this week by James Larsen.

Also in that clip, the 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up explained that he's pursuing playing in the UFL and that he plans on bringing some former teammates with him to the spring football league.

"And besides that, man, I'm here to support guys around the world," Pavia said. "If they need help, they can reach out to me. I'll be at a lot of games.

"So I'm just here to have fun. I got a little sister, too. I want to support her in every way I can. I want to show her the grind of how I made it, how I made it to some of the biggest stages in college athletics."

On Tuesday night, Pavia took to X to confirm that he is, in fact, following through with those UFL aspirations. He wrote in a post that his agent and the league are in negotiations.

"Whatever team I end up at, I can promise you one thing — you will get everything I got," Pavia wrote in the post.

The Columbus Aviators, who have the No. 1 overall pick in next year's UFL Draft, quote posted Pavia, using the "eyes" emoji to tease interest.

The draft will take place in St. Louis on Nov. 18.

Pavia wasn't selected in this year's NFL Draft. As an undrafted free agent, the 5-foot-10, 207-pound prospect signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

That said, the Ravens waived him ahead of training camp.

After Pavia went undrafted, ESPN's Pat McAfee opined on the April 27 episode of his show that Pavia and the UFL feel like "a match made in heaven."

"Is Diego Pavia not the UFL blueprint that you would think for spring football?" McAfee said back then. "Big name, not scared to promote things at all. He can move, so he won't die back there. And if you look at some of the quarterbacks in the UFL, I don't know any of them."

McAfee added at the time: "This feels like kind of a home-run situation. … "And also, Diego, we're not saying you won't have a good NFL career. We think you're a dog. Maybe you'll be able to figure it out up there. We think your style of play, your size, everything basically about you is probably why you weren't the most desirable prospect, but you're a dog. We think you'll do well."

McAfee wasn't the only one running with the idea. Around the same time, NFL backup Ben DiNucci posted on X that if he were Pavia and still wanted to play football, he'd call the CFL and UFL right away.

"I could see him having similar career to Doug Flutie up north," DiNucci wrote on X on April 26.

While Flutie’s success in the CFL rerouted him back to the NFL, Johnny Manziel notably failed to replicate that path.

Manziel, famously, is someone Pavia’s looked up to. They showcased similar moxie in the collegiate ranks, consistently coming up big in the SEC despite their smaller statures.

Pavia’s bravado made him one of the most exciting players in college football the past few years; however, it factored heavily into his polarizing reputation among fans of the sport. So did his legal fight for an extra year of eligibility.

Pavia sued the NCAA, and ultimately a federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction that allowed him to play a sixth season of college football. Pavia claimed the organization violated antitrust law by counting his time in JUCO toward his NCAA eligibility clock, thereby adversely affecting his ability to earn money from his name, image and likeness.

That ruling was a watershed moment in what’s become a full-blown eligibility crisis for the NCAA.

Additionally, it afforded Pavia the opportunity to complete a program turnaround at Vandy. Following two seasons at New Mexico State, Pavia led the SEC’s Commodores to a combined 17 wins, including a 10-win campaign in 2025.

Pavia’s hoping to make a recognizable impact in the pros, too — it sounds like he may get a shot to do so in the UFL next year.