Nick Saban says Vanderbilt is better in 2025 than it was in 2024
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Nick Saban has been impressed with Vanderbilt this season.
The Commodores are up to 16th in the AP poll, their highest ranking since 2008. They are enjoying their first 5-0 start to a season since that same 2008 campaign. And yet they’re a double-digit underdog on the road this weekend to Alabama (+11.5, via BetMGM). Ahead of that game, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban had a cautionary warning for the Tide.
“I don’t think there’s any question about it: This is a lot better Vanderbilt team this year than what they had last year,” Saban said Friday during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “Last year, to me, it was the Diego Pavia show. … He dominates the game now in a different way because, to me, he makes every player on his team better.”
Saban likened Pavia to a point guard, saying the star Vandy quarterback is better this season as a passer. Saban said the skill players are better for Vanderbilt and the defense is playing at a higher level.
And all of that is backed up in the data behind Vandy’s start.
Pavia is completing 74.6% of his passes for 9.6 yards per attempt this season. Last fall, he was a 59% passer who averaged 7.7 yards per attempt. Vandy’s leading wide receiver last year averaged 31.6 yards per game. The Commodores have 2 receivers averaging north of 40 yards a game this year. According to Game on Paper, the Vandy defense ranked 119th last year in adjusted EPA per play faced. This year, the defense is up to 63rd.
While that last number isn’t elite, when combined with a top-5 offense in terms of per-play efficiency, the result is a Vanderbilt team that ranks fourth in adjusted net EPA per play.
Vandy will be a challenge for Alabama on Saturday, even if the Crimson Tide are taking Vanderbilt seriously this time around.
“This is going to be a real challenging game,” Saban said. “You have this perception of Vanderbilt being an academic school that’s always struggled in the SEC, especially in football. That’s not the case anymore.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
