No. 2 is No. 2.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who wears No. 2 for the Commodores, ranks second on USA TODAY’s latest rankings of the top college football quarterbacks, behind Oregon’s Dante Moore.
Advertisement
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who helped Westview High School to the TSSAA Class 2A state championship in 2021, is ranked fifth. Simpson and Pavia will face each other Oct. 4 (2:30 p.m., ABC) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, when the Commodores (5-0, 1-0 SEC) take on the Crimson Tide (3-0, 1-0) in an SEC matchup.
NO. 2 NO. 1? Is Diego Pavia greatest Vanderbilt quarterback ever? We asked some former Commodores QBs
MORE: NCAA appeal in Diego Pavia eligibility lawsuit dismissed, status quo remains
Former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is expected to be on Vanderbilt’s sideline during the game. According to On3, Pavia and Manziel have developed a friendship.
Advertisement
“I’m like, ‘Learn from my mistakes, brother. Learn from Johnny. Don’t be Johnny off the field,’ ” Manziel told On3. “I had so much opportunity and so much (expletive) and threw it away. Diego’s young and lit, and it’s easy in that position to get out of control. But I’m trying to give him the best advice I can. He’s listening. I think he is, so that’s a blessing.”
Vanderbilt upset then top-ranked Alabama in Nashville last year, setting of a celebration that led goal posts from FirstBank Stadium down Broadway and into the Cumberland River.
Both quarterbacks are considered candidates for the Heisman Trophy, according to the latest odds released by FanDuel Sportsbook, which have Simpson tied for second at plus-950 with Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, Moore first (plus-650) and Pavia tied for eighth with Tennessee Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar (plus-1,700).
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vandy’s Diego Pavia ranks high on USA Today’s list of top college QBs
