Former Vanderbilt football quarterback Diego Pavia’s past antics won’t follow him to the Baltimore Ravens, at least as far as his new coach is concerned.
Ravens coach Jesse Minter, a former assistant under Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea, said Pavia will get something similar to a do-over after not being selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Pavia, an undrafted free agent who signed a three-year deal with Baltimore this week, sometimes drew negative publicity at New Mexico State and Vandy. The most recent headline was when lashed out at Heisman Trophy voters on social media in December.
“We’ll certainly have some talks about how to handle certain things a little better,” Minter told NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” show. “But again, any rookie, undrafted free agent, come in and work, let what you do on the field and by your actions show who you are, and we’ll let him come in with a little bit of a clean slate and give him a platform, along with the rest of the guys coming in.”
Pavia wasn’t taken in the 2026 NFL Draft due to concerns about his size and playing style. He initially was just invited to the Ravens’ rookie minicamp but wound up signing a deal. His contract is not fully guaranteed.
The 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up led the Commodores to a 10-3 overall record last season. He threw for 3,539 yards with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed 167 times for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns, ultimately being named SEC Offensive Player of the Year.
Minter was Lea’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2021.
“(Lea) is a real dear, close friend of mine,” Minter said. “(Pavia) was a force multiplier at Vanderbilt. He came there at a time when they ended to get it going and Clark was building something, and this guy made everyone in the building better. He’s one of the first people in, one of the last to leave. He’s a really hard worker.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform,@tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg.Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
