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Diego Pavia makes Johnny Manziel comparison after opponent’s Trace McSorley comment
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Diego Pavia got the attention of the college football world in his SEC debut. The Vanderbilt QB is now likening himself to an SEC legend.
Pavia led Vanderbilt to an upset victory over Virginia Tech, a team that was considered a dark horse to potentially snag a College Football Playoff bid out of the ACC. Pavia called out the Hokies postgame for their trash talk, particularly the comparison they made to former Penn State QB Trace McSorley.
“Some people from over there called me a poor man’s Trace McSorley. When you stop me, then you can talk,” Pavia said, according to VandySports’ Billy Derrick.
Pavia appeared on the SEC Network show Out of Pocket this week. Asked about the McSorley comments, Pavia said he likes to think of himself more as more like Johnny Manziel.
Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia asked about “Poor Man’s Trace McSorley” comment during appearance on SEC Network tonight:
“It was through the grape vine, so I had to show them what I do. I feel like I’m more of a comparison to Johnny Football. That’s who I am.” pic.twitter.com/UxUVIKFjaS
— Robbie Weinstein (@rwweinstein) September 4, 2024
It’s bold of any quarterback to compare themselves to a Heisman Trophy winner, but the swagger and confidence come off as quite Manziel-like.
In the box score, Pavia was 12-of-16 passing for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. He also was Vanderbilt’s primary rusher, logging 26 attempts for 104 yards and a TD.
Vanderbilt faces Alcorn State and Georgia State over the next 2 weeks before opening SEC play at Mizzou. We’ll see Pavia can keep the Diego Football show going.
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.
