Dec 16, 2025
3 min read
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has apologized for his comments after finishing second in the Heisman votes behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
Diego Pavia apologizes for the outburst after losing the Heisman, hopes to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Diego Pavia apologizes for outburst after Heisman loss, plans to play in ReliaQuest Bowl
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Vanderbilt midfielder Diego Pavia has apologized for his comments after finishing second to Indiana's Fernando Mendoza in Heisman voting Saturday night.
Mendoza became the first Indian to win the award, and the competition wasn't exactly fierce.The Indiana quarterback scored 2,362 points, including 643 first-place votes.Pavia follows with 1,435 points.The other two finalists are Notre Dame's Jeremiah Love (719 points) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sain (432 points).
After the ceremony, Pavia reposted his upset story on Instagram with the caption: "To all the voters BUT.....FAMILY FOR LIFE."He also retweeted Skip Bayless' comments on social media, saying the Vanderbilt signal caller should get the award and appeared to take in Mendoza's six-minute acceptance speech.
Lt. Col. Heisman apologized for his actions Sunday night.
"Being a part of the Heisman ceremony last night was an honor as a finalist. As a competitor, like everything I do, I wanted to win. Being so close to my dream and coming up short was painful. I didn't handle those emotions well and I don't represent that. And I'm sorry," Pavia wrote in a post on social media.
Pavia went on to call Mendoza "competition" and "worthy of the award." He praised Mendoza's success and praised Sayin and Love.
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He wrote: "I've been in doubt all my life. Every step of my journey I've had to break down doors and fight for myself because I've learned that nothing gives me anything. My family has always been in my corner and my teammates, coaches and staff have my sixes. I love them - I thank them."
He concluded the statement by expressing his excitement for the upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl, in which Vanderbilt will face Iowa in Pavia's final college game on December 31.
Mendoza is the first since Caleb Williams (2022) to finish first in all six Heisman states.He was named in 95.16% of all votes and received 84.6% of the total possible points, which is the seventh highest in Heisman history.
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