Will Diego Pavia Be a Heisman Finalist? Vandy QB, HC Sound Off After Win vs. Vols

Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea made it clear quarterback Diego Pavia deserves to be a Heisman Trophy finalist after the Commodores' 45-24 road win against Tennessee.

Pavia rushed for 165 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. He also threw for 268 yards and a touchdown (two interceptions).

Pavia has been on absolute fire of late, as Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated noted.

That stretch includes a 532-yard day (484 passing yards, 48 rushing yards) alongside six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) against Kentucky in a 45-17 win last Saturday.

For the season, Pavia threw for 3,192 yards and 27 touchdowns (eight interceptions) alongside 826 rushing yards and nine scores.

It's been a fantastic year for Pavia, who led Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season in school history. That could very well lead to an invite to New York on Dec. 13, the day of the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

At this moment, Pavia has 6-1 odds to win the award, per DraftKings Sportsbook. That puts him fourth on the ledger behind Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (+130), Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (+160) and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (+450).

He's certainly deserving of consideration. We'll find out for sure if he's among the finalist on Monday, Dec. 8, when the Heisman slate is revealed.