Vanderbilt’s standout quarterback Diego Pavia put together an impressive college football season, which earned him a spot as a 2025 Heisman Trophy finalist.
He finished the regular season with 3,192 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions. Pavia also ran for 826 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, leading the Commodores to a 10-2 season and putting them in the College Football Playoff conversation, although Vanderbilt ultimately was not selected to the bracket.
While Pavia’s been making headlines on the field, his family has been with him every bit of the way, showing their support for the graduate quarterback throughout the entire season.
“They haven’t missed a game,” Pavia told Sports Illustrated. “I’ve got a great family. I love them to death and family comes before anything. So super appreciative of them coming and sacrificing all their time and their stuff.”
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Keep scrolling to read more about Pavia’s family:
Mom Antoinette Padilla
Anyone who’s heard of Diego Pavia has likely heard of his mom, Antoinette. She’s made headlines all season long as a controversial figure in the sport.
She originally made news during Vanderbilt’s win over Kentucky on November 22. Padilla had on a dubious outfit — cowboys boots and a skirt, with a “Pavia for Heisman” T-shirt on — and was dancing somewhat provocatively throughout the game. At one point, Padilla straddled the spectator railing at the stadium while she was dancing.
The ESPN cameras had no problem finding Padilla and putting her on the broadcast throughout the game, catching the attention of ESPN college football analyst Joey Galloway, who questioned the frequency of the TV network showing Padilla.
“Is there a camera on Pavia’s mother the entire game?” Galloway, 54, asked on the November 24, episode of his “Nonstop” podcast. “I’m just wondering. Just a question. Not saying it gets on my nerves. Just asking a question.”
He continued, “I love the story. I love the family. Not every play.”
Before that game against Kentucky, Padilla was on the field for Vanderbilt’s Senior Day festivities, joined by comedian Theo Vonn, who previously joked with Pavia about dating his mom. Pavia promised Vonn a date with Padilla if Vanderbilt beat South Carolina in an earlier matchup, which they did.
Despite the win and the promise, the two never went out on that date.
Brother Roel Pavia Jr.
Roel, 26, is the oldest of the Pavia brothers and has been an avid supporter of Diego throughout his successful career at New Mexico State and Vanderbilt.
Often seen in the front row of his younger brother’s games, Roel has never been shy in supporting Diego.
“He’s the best Vanderbilt football player ever,” Roel said to Sports Illustrated last month. “Without a doubt.”
Roel is an athlete himself, wrestling and playing football at Briar Cliff University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in Iowa.
The eldest Pavia brother has run into a bit of trouble in the past. He and his younger brother, Javier, were arrested and charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest on August 30, after Vanderbilt’s win over Charleston Southern.
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Brother Javier Pavia
Javier, 25, has also been an avid supporter of his brother, Diego, frequently seen at games and even bringing a “Pavia 4 Heisman” sign to ESPN’s College Gameday, when the popular pregame show was visiting the University of Alabama prior to Vanderbilt’s game against the Crimson Tide on October 4.
Like Roel, he’s also had some run-ins with the law this season. Javier was first arrested with his brother after the August 30 game against Charleston Southern, then Javier was arrested again on November 29, after Vanderbilt’s game against Tennessee in Knoxville.
Sister Abrielle Pavia
The youngest Pavia sibling, Abrielle has a budding basketball career in New Mexico. She’s just a freshman in high school, but already building a name for herself on the court.
“I want to let her know that she has to be the most competitive person on the court at all times,” Diego said about his sister to Sports Illustrated. “And that’s how she’s going to succeed.”