Diego Pavia asks President Donald Trump to expand College Football Playoff via executive order
By David Wasson
Published:
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has never been afraid to buck the system, with the latest example coming Wednesday when Pavia took to his X account with an appeal straight to the country’s chief executive for College Football Playoff expansion.
Quote-tweeting a message sent by Brooks Austin about the need for a 16-team CFP field that presumably would have included the Commodores in 2025, Pavia posted the following: “@realDonaldTrump MAKE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER PLEASE” with two exclamation points and eyeball emojis.
Pavia, who led Vanderbilt to a 10-2 record in 2025 and a current No. 14 CFP ranking, sued the NCAA after his 2024 campaign, arguing that junior college years should not count against a player’s collegiate eligibility because it limits their potential NIL earnings.
Although the Commodores are on the outside looking in regarding this season’s CFP slate, Pavia is still considered a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy. The dual-threat standout passed for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2025 and also led Vanderbilt with 826 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns.
In his 2 seasons at Vandy, Pavia passed for 5,485 yards and 47 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and rushed for 1,626 yards on 345 carries with 17 more scores. Before transferring to Nashville, Pavia played 2 seasons at New Mexico State.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
