Diego Pavia has improbably made Vanderbilt one of college football’s must-see attractions, having helped lead the Commodores to a 5-2 record and the No. 25 spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
Now, the Vanderbilt quarterback is aiming to make sure his team gets as many of its most passionate, ardent supporters as it can for home games.
On Monday, Pavia went on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to urge Vanderbilt chancellor Daniel Diermeier to expand the student section at FirstBank Stadium, the home venue.
“LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN!!” Pavia wrote in a post that tagged Diermeier. “WE NEED THAT STUDENT SECTION EVEN BIGGER‼️VANDY WE TURNT.”
Seating for students with non-transferrable tickets is limited to parts of two sections at the stadium. Half of one of those sections, however, is blocked off by metal barriers due to construction on a massive renovation of the stadium that’s part of a larger $300 million athletic facilities project at the school.
That construction has limited seating in the stadium the past two seasons. This year, capacity is just 28,934, down from the pre-renovation number of 40,350.
It has had a noticeable impact on students, who were denied entrance to the designated student section for the Commodores’ season-opening victory against Virginia Tech because the area was deemed to be too full.
Students were given the option of alternative tickets elsewhere in the stadium for Vanderbilt’s Week 2 win against Alcorn State, but when the Commodores hosted (and defeated) Alabama in their next home game, that option wasn’t feasible for a sold-out stadium.
Vanderbilt will face a similar situation Saturday when it hosts No. 6 Texas (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network) in one of the most anticipated home games in the Commodores’ modern history.
In his first season with the program after transferring in from New Mexico State, Pavia has been one of the key figures in Vanderbilt’s rapid improvement after a 2-10 season in 2023. The 6-foot senior has thrown for 1,391 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception. He’s also the team’s leading rusher, with 470 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the first seven games.
