Deion Sanders told Diego Pavia he couldn’t be starting QB at Jackson State: ‘Even if you were better, my son is playing regardless’
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Diego Pavia has had quite the college football journey, playing at JUCO, FCS and Power 4 levels. At one time, Pavia was considering a stop at Jackson State, but Deion Sanders effectively steered him elsewhere.
Pavia recently had a wide-ranging conversation on the popular Bussin with the Boys podcast. When discussing his football career, Pavia recalled the time he was interested in Jackson State. Coach Prime, however, made it clear that Pavia would not be the starting quarterback over Shedeur Sanders/
While fans may take issue with Sanders making a decision before Pavia was given a chance, the Vandy QB appreciated Coach Prime being upfront.
I was thinking about going to Jackson State but Deion was so real,” Pavia said. “He was like, ‘Hey, this isn’t a 50/50. My son is playing regardless… Even if you were better, my son is playing regardless.’ He was like, ‘We’re looking for a backup.’ He said if you’re looking to come be a backup. In my head, I’m like, ‘I ain’t no (expletive) backup, you know what I mean? I’m like, I’m not going to St. Francis because I can’t go to the league from there. I was thinking, (expletive), New Mexico State is my only option.
It’s safe to say things worked out well for Pavia. His success at New Mexico State led him to Vanderbilt, where he has made a name for himself nationally.
It’s not hard to see why Pavia appreciated Sanders being “real” about the QB depth chart. Pavia was quite candid when it came to running the state of Tennessee and his thoughts on the Big Ten.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
