Vanderbilt University quarterback Diego Pavia has been named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, according to an announcement from the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation. The award recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback in college football.
This is the fifth preseason recognition for Pavia ahead of the 2025 season. In addition to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, he is on watch lists for the Walter Camp and Maxwell Player of the Year Awards, as well as the Davey O’Brien Award and Manning Award.
Pavia’s recent season saw him lead Vanderbilt to its best performance since 2013, including a victory over No. 1 Alabama with a score of 40-35. His efforts have brought significant attention to Vanderbilt’s football program.
Entering his final season at Vanderbilt, Pavia outlined high expectations for himself and his team. “I think we’ve got the tools offensively and defensively to put our foot forward and win the national championship,” Pavia told Paul Finebaum during an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show.
According to ESPN analytics, Vanderbilt will face one of the toughest schedules in college football this year, ranked as having the second-hardest strength of schedule. The Commodores open their season on Aug. 30 against Charleston Southern.
In other sports news related to Vanderbilt, three former baseball players—Braden Holcomb, Matthew Shorey and Ryker Waite—helped lead the Bourne Braves to win the 2025 Cape Cod League Championship earlier this week. Holcomb and Waite contributed by each batting in 17 runs; they hit .285 and .287 respectively and stole a combined total of 24 bases during their time in the league. Shorey pitched for 30.1 innings, ending with a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.37 along with 30 strikeouts.
Commodores head baseball coach Tim Corbin commented about his team’s experience: “They’re an older group. They’ve been in a hole before. Not many times, but whether it’s during the course of the season or during the course of games, they’ve been able to navigate their way out of these situations.”
The countdown continues for Vanderbilt’s football season opener with nine days remaining as of Thursday.
