What Diego Pavia's new look has to do with QB's Vanderbilt football national championship talk
Diego Pavia rolled into Vanderbilt football preseason practice sporting a buzz cut. It's an unfamiliar look to Commodores fans, but it means something.
The last time the quarterback rocked this hair style, he won a junior college national championship at New Mexico Military Institue. That's why he brought it back. Pavia wants to repeat history at Vanderbilt.
"My job is to fill the seats and the way we fill the seats is with winning," Pavia said July 31. "Our goal is a national championship."
Last season, the Commodores went 7-6 and won the Birmingham Bowl by defeating Georgia Tech. They picked up one of the biggest wins in school history over No. 1 Alabama, but none of that matters now.
The quarterback is approaching preseason practice with a determined mindset. It's all about winning games.
"Whatever it takes to win," Pavia said. "People obviously want me to stay healthy throughout the season. I think we do that through my reps at the beginning, but I've got to be fresh for January."
It rubs off on the other players. Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has seen Pavia's goals become what other players want too.
"He's allowed for his standards to become our standards," Lea said. "His influence reaches from corner to corner of the locker room."
That starts up front with the offensive line, an area that Pavia and Lea feel has gotten better.
"We look like an SEC offensive line," Lea said.
"Our offensive line has improved a lot, so I have to get better as a pocket passer," Pavia added. "That's what I worked on a lot in the offseason."
It then moves to the players around Pavia. The wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, they all have to play their part.
But now, the quarterback feels there's so much depth that it's going to be difficult to get everyone the touches they deserve. The playmakers are going to have to take advantage of the opportunities when they get them.
"This year is going to be really hard because you have so much talent around you," Pavia said. "You get 60 or 65 plays a game, so it's hard for everyone to touch the ball. We talk about, 'Hey, if you touch that thing, you better take it to the house.'"
It's not a bad problem to have, but it isn't the time to worry about it yet. There's still a few weeks until the first game of the season Aug. 30 against Charleston Southern. In the meantime, it's about embracing the work.
"I love it," Pavia said. "It's grind time. It kind of reminds me of the wrestling grind. Nothing is as hard as wrestling. I feel like this is my safe space. You get to hang out with the guys ... and have fun."
You have to love it if you want to win, and that's what Pavia does.
"I've got to bring my A game every single day," Pavia said. "The most important thing is to win football games. I don't care about anything else."