“Tell him to chill out”: Diego Pavia recalls HC Clark Lea’s unique request for Vanderbilt QB’s brother

Diego Pavia is expected to be at the helm of the Vanderbilt Commodores heading into the upcoming season after last year’s performance saw him throw for 2,293 yards and 20 touchdowns. His play also earned him a memorable win over powerhouse Alabama, which was earnestly celebrated by fans, and even more so by his family.

Among his biggest supporters are his brothers, Roel Pavia Jr. and Javier Pavia, who are staples at Vanderbilt games. The Commodores started their 2024 season with an overtime contest, winning 34-27 against Virginia Tech. Roel was there, celebrating in the locker room, wearing a cowboy hat with a high-octane energy.

That celebration may have been part of the reason for a light-hearted, but pointed, request from Vandebilt coach Clark Lea. On Tuesday, in a teaser for his upcoming YouTube podcast “Air It Out with Pavia,” Diego recounted an exchange with the coach.

“Coach came up to me and he’s like, ‘Hey, your brother over there, can you please go tell him just to chill out a little?'” Pavia said in the clip, with no added context.

Whether the coach’s request was directly about Roel’s spirited celebrations remains unclear, but what is clear is that the Pavia family’s passion for winning is strong.

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Diego Pavia and his family love winning

Before the win against Alabama in October, Roel Pavia Jr. had made the trip to Nashville with high hopes. Pavia was interviewed in an article by Joey Dwyer on Oct. 9.

“We celebrate when he wins,” Roel said. “That’s it.”

Winning is something the Pavia’s love, but what happens after the game might be just as memorable.

"In words you can’t really describe it, you got to be there to experience it," Roel added. "We call this the Pavia experience. We roll deep, everyone from Albuquerque, all our friends and family, all who’s riding with us."

Meanwhile, talking about his brothers and friends, Diego Pavia said of their enthusiastic energy:

"If they put a camera on those guys they’d go viral every single time," Pavia said. "Those guys are like ‘holy s**t.’ Some of the stuff ain’t right, but it’s pure comedy. People would love it. If they put a camera on all of us people would pay to watch that."

What motivates Pavia most is giving his people something to celebrate.

"I got to win at all costs so everyone has fun," Pavia added. “Johnny Manziel used to say ‘win or lose, we booze,’ but we ain’t partying, we ain’t having fun if we don’t win."

Diego Pavia will start his 2025 season at home against Charleston Southern on Aug. 30, hoping to keep the Pavia experience going strong.