Vanderbilt is entering a new era for the program, one where they expect success. But they will be doing so without star quarterback Diego Pavia, who jolted life into Vanderbilt over two seasons played. Pavia left after putting together a Heisman Trophy finalist-worthy season. Now, everyone is wondering if the Commodores can replicate the success without him.
One anonymous SEC coach is not buying the idea. He spoke to Athlton Sports about the idea, saying “absolutely not” when asked if they would be as good without Pavia.
“Do I think they’ll be as good without Diego [Pavia]? No. Absolutely not,” the anonymous coach said. “Do I think they’ll be competitive and in there somewhere in the middle? Yes.”
Pavia is presumably passing the throne down to a true freshman in Jared Curtis. Originally a Georgia commit, Curtis turned into a massive hometown flip for Vanderbilt. He finished as a Five-Star Plus+ prospect and the No. 3 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. Curtis will be tasked with making sure Vandy plays with the same type of energy they did when Pavia was their leader.
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At least from the outside, there is some faith that can be accomplished. He believes the Commodores will be able to keep the “swag,” even if on-field results are not as good.
“That time with Diego will help them recruit at a higher level, and they’ll have more sustained success than they’ve had, but they won’t be at the same level in the next year or two without Diego,” another anonymous coach said. “I think the injection of belief and swag that [Pavia] brought to the program can carry over. They fed off it, then it became more than just him.”
Vanderbilt will begin the 2026 journey on Sept. 5 vs. Austin Peay. By Week 4, the grind of an SEC schedule will kick in for them, heading on the road to face Auburn. The goal will be getting back-to-back 10-win seasons in school history, coming with a little bit of doubt from coaches across the conference.
In any case, if you want more comments from anonymous SEC coaches on various programs in the league, be sure the check out the Athlon Sports summer preview magazine. Athlon Sports publishes one of the most respected college football preview magazines in the industry. You can find content like their bold predictions for the SEC and much, much more inside. You can find more about buying a copy here.
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