Paul Finebaum's 2025 Natty Pick & Diego Pavia's Heisman Hopes 🏆

10:42Diego Pavia:Oh, I don't think so. I actually have a teammate who talks to a few guys from Auburn. And let's just say I'll be excited to play them this year.

10:53Paul Finebaum:Oh, there's the tea. You play them in November. Looking forward to that one. Obviously, you got a lot before that. But what is that like as a player? When you feel like you're doing everything you can. to prove to coaches at a higher level that you deserve to be there. And it doesn't seem like they're being as receptive as you may like. What's that like as a player?

11:13Diego Pavia:Oh, it's different. I know exactly what you're talking about, but I don't know how to explain how I feel about it. Maybe just not the right words are popping up.

11:21Paul Finebaum:Maybe like a chip on your shoulder. You go to some of these guys' top three QB list, and I'm not in it.

11:28Diego Pavia:And so obviously they go off a lot of hype and size, but you go check the numbers and the tape, ain't nobody better.

11:35Paul Finebaum:Does that drive you in the weight room? Because we see video throughout the show of you in the weight room early, but also doing hot yoga. It looks like you're finding everything you can to find the edge.

11:45Diego Pavia:Oh, yeah. Well, I got injured last year at the Kentucky game. And so once I did that, my stats kind of started to drop. Our wind started to drop. Production from receivers started to drop. And I thought it was a reflection of me. So I needed to get better. And so the spot that I need to get there is, you know, staying healthy.

12:05Paul Finebaum:Well, people are certainly paying attention to Vanderbilt football now. I know that was a goal of Coach Lee bringing you in there. And obviously you guys are just going to continue to build. Hard to imagine that your legacy isn't already cemented there at Vandy. But a lot of young football players are going to be watching this series and learning about you and learning about Vanderbilt. So if you were Coach Lee, what's your recruiting pitch to those guys to consider going to Vandy?

12:29Diego Pavia:I would say let this year speak for itself. And if you want to come here, be part of something that's really special and the best city in the SEC, then Vanderbilt's your spot.

12:41Paul Finebaum:That's a mic drop for us, Diego. We appreciate it so much. This is very exciting. We cannot wait to watch you next season.

12:48Diego Pavia:Well, I appreciate that. I can't wait to watch this show and put on another one this year.

12:52Paul Finebaum:Love that. Diego, best of luck next season. We're excited to watch you. It's coming up.

12:57Diego Pavia:I appreciate it so much. We'll see you guys August 30th and through January. In the past, this is the moment when the team would lose confidence and break apart.

13:11Diego Pavia:And now we have a person who, when he gets knocked down,

13:21Diego Pavia:he gets back on his feet and always stays in the fight more than i ever thought i would get to know about one person in the landscape of the sec paul feinbaum on the show as well we'll get to that danny this is a bona fide star he is a star

13:37Paul Finebaum:and it sounds like he wants to be a bit of a tv star as well there's definitely room for both because he's got the personality to do it. So that confidence is literally like beaming out of him when he's talking. And I don't know if you're on his team, how you don't listen. Because if someone is standing there and is walking the walk and talking the talk and has all this confidence and doesn't seem like anything that would have gone wrong his way is bothering him,

14:01Diego Pavia:hard not to follow him. It's the intangibles that matter a lot when it comes to the college game. And it does translate into the NFL, that sort of confidence of a Baker Mayfield. You covered the Rams for so long on the NFL level. We were talking while I was watching this interview, and you said he reminds you of

14:16Paul Finebaum:Sean McVay. Tell me more about that. He does, because he wakes up during the offseason at like 3 a.m. in the morning to go to the gym before everybody else. He said when he first got to Vanderbilt, they were like, there's no way you can get in the gym. There's nobody to open it. He's like, OK, well, I need a key. And that's how Sean McVay is. Sean McVay wakes up at like 3 a.m. and works out before his work day every single day as well. he's also not the tallest in stature as well but just has this like infectious count me out if you want to I'm gonna prove you wrong mentality and I can remember Sean McVay like being 30 31 however old he was when he first took over the Rams you had no idea that he was of that age because he just spoke with so much confidence he knew what he was there to do and he was impressive from the start I kind of get that vibe from Diego but yeah I'm buying what Vanderbilt's putting out there And that's, hey, we're not the afterthought of the SEC anymore.

15:09Paul Finebaum:Pay attention to us. And hopefully they can keep it going. Because obviously, as we all know, in college sports, it's about how much money you can bring to the program. Winning obviously helps that. Donors help that. But I don't know if they have the infrastructure yet. But it does look like a program that could still be pretty competitive this year, especially with that guy at the helm. He won you over. Sold. I'm sold.

15:31Diego Pavia:Big thanks to Diego Pavia for coming on the show. So big thanks to you for pulling this interview and doing it such a great job. And you're not done, Dani, because you conducted another interview with the very knowledgeable genius brainiac known as Paul Feinbaum. And he's going to help you help me and everyone set the landscape for the SEC in 2025.

15:53Paul Finebaum:Paul, we're so excited to have you joining us. SEC football is about to get started. Let's go through this conference a bit. Obviously, there are people that probably don't fall as passionately as you do. So who should we be keeping an eye on this season? Who are some of the underdogs coming into this season?

16:10Diego Pavia:Would I surprise you if I mentioned the name Arch Manning? I know probably hasn't made it all the way out to where you are right now. But having just been to SEC Media Days, it was an absolute circus. We've had a few. Probably the most recent three-ring circus of Media Days was Johnny Manziel in 2012. It's ironic. Manziel got there about three days after getting kicked out of the Manning camp. So that was quite a cause. So other than that, Tim Tebow in 2007. But it's all about Arch Manning. Texas is the best team in the SEC. But there are so many other stories, including what's up with Georgia.

16:48Diego Pavia:They won two national championships. They had a terrible season last year. They only won the SEC, but lost in the Sugar Bowl in Notre Dame.

16:56Paul Finebaum:We're going to get into all of those teams, including Arch Manning, but set the scene for us. Why is the SEC producing such great rivalries year after year?

17:04Diego Pavia:Some of it, if not all of it, has to do with the passion of the fans. And it's not in every case because Texas is now in the SEC, but in most SEC markets, whether it's Birmingham, which is near Tuscaloosa and Auburn or South Carolina, or as you work your way around Kentucky or Arkansas, The SEC is the only game in town. It doesn't have to share the market with the Lakers or the Rams or the Dodgers. I spent most of my career in Birmingham, and the NFL almost did not exist. It was about Alabama football, and it's really about the passion of the fans. And they wear it on their sleeve. I mean, we don't have the time to go through some of the crazy incidents that I've had in my career with callers.

17:50Diego Pavia:but ultimately and I strongly believe this more than anything that I'll say here today that the SEC fans care more about their sport than any other I mean I know I know there's some probably people watching in Europe who are going to argue soccer with me good luck no kidding I completely

18:05Paul Finebaum:agree with you having had worked in the SEC for a little bit you got to see the hundreds of thousands of fans but it's like church they're wearing their Sunday best to the game it's a huge deal. And it's so fun because it's like that at every single school that you go to. So let's dive into some of these schools. Let's start with South Carolina because not making it into the college football playoff was obviously a massive storyline. Do you think they did enough last season to have made the college football playoff?

18:34Diego Pavia:They did. There was a game against LSU early in the season. They had nearly a three touchdown lead. And then the officials decided to get in away. And they literally cost South Carolina the game. I hate to get into officiating, but that's what happened. LSU surviving that day cost South Carolina a bit. They had an amazing team. They had a quarterback that virtually nobody had heard about before the season named Lenora Sellers. They have a coach named Shane Beamer, whose father was pretty famous, Frank Beamer, having played for a national championship with Michael Vick, a quarterback. So they're not only an amazing story, but going to a game at South Carolina is so unique because, like I said, in relation to nothing else around, there is nothing else around there other than South Carolina football.

19:22Diego Pavia:And their biggest fan just happens to be a pretty well-known entertainer, Darius Rucker, who made his name with Hootie and the Blowfish and hasn't done too badly on the country charts either.

19:32Paul Finebaum:Yeah, certainly he's found success. That's for sure. And Shane Beamer seems to be having success there. Curious, do you think that he can find the same success that we saw out of the Gamecocks last season?

19:42Diego Pavia:I think they will come close, but I don't think they'll get there. Their schedule is like everybody's schedule in the SEC. It's difficult, but they have Alabama at home, but they have to go to Ole Miss. They have to go to LSU, and that's where it starts getting really difficult. I think they'll fall just short. I'm not a Vegas odds maker, but they look like about a nine-win team to me.

20:05Paul Finebaum:Well, anytime that you give your opinion on where their win total should be, any degenerates out there probably are paying attention. Let's get to Arch Manning since you brought him up earlier. Obviously, he's getting thrown into the Heisman conversation. Curious, do you think that's a little bit outlandish, or do you think that that makes sense?

20:22Diego Pavia:It is fairly ridiculous for somebody who's never started a meaningful game to be the Heisman favorite, but that's how odds makers are. And if you go back, the favorite to win the Heisman has rarely won the Heisman. It's usually somebody that comes from the pack. Having said all that, from a buzz standpoint, it was truly remarkable. And I'm going to throw myself under the bus here, if you'll allow me. I mean, I'm 69 years old. Arch Manning came up to our set in Atlanta and shook hands with me. And I was starstruck. I mean, I'm not sure if Taylor Swift had stopped to say hello, I would have been any more shocked.

20:58Diego Pavia:uh i did i my colleagues joked for for days you know whether i would wash my hand i did and by the way if taylor swift wants to say hello to me i will i'll push arch to the side but the point is it was just a cool moment um and i have met a lot of players you have too uh rarely do you like stop and part of the part of the story is i i know everybody in his family uh As a kid growing up in Memphis, I saw his grandfather play in a bowl game. I knew his uncles, obviously, Peyton and Ewise, everybody in the world does. It's just so cool to see the lineage continue.

21:37Paul Finebaum:Speaking to that lineage, do you think being a Manning is going to be a little too overbearing for him? Because that's pressure in and of itself. Take Texas completely out of the conversation. It's just being a part of that lineage carries an immense amount of pressure.

21:52Diego Pavia:Yeah, I mean, he's dealt with it. He had a decision to make. It came down to three schools for him. He decided not to go to his father's school, Ole Miss. It came down to Georgia and Alabama. He told Kirby Smart no, and he told Nick Saban no, because he loved Sarkeesian. And what Sarkeesian has said about him is that he's prepared. And I know that we can gravitate to players, whether Tom Brady's son plays football or Mahomes or any of these guys. This guy, it's not only his name. If you took his name off, you would still look at him and say he has the potential to be one of the greatest of all time.

22:27Diego Pavia:And I was on one of these crazy shows a couple of weeks ago. And in the moment, I said he's the best player in college football since Tim Tebow. And I had people remind me, have you ever heard of Joe Burrow, Cam Newton, Baker Mayfield? And yes, I have. But I think ultimately he could be that great. And it's not just the play on the field. It's the star factor. And I think he will back it up. And I've rarely made a proclamation like that. And if I'm wrong, guess what? The whole world will make fire me.

22:53Paul Finebaum:Well, you know what? Since we're on stuff that you've said recently, let's stick to that narrative and get into LSU. Because I know you have done a little bit of the comparison game with their quarterback, Clemson's quarterback. Obviously, they play to start the year. Talk to us about the situation at LSU.

23:10Diego Pavia:They have either the best quarterback in the country or the second best. And it's like splitting hairs. My opinion doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what they end up doing. But Nussmeyer, Garrett Nussmeyer, is that good. He was iffy at times last year under the gun, but primarily because he didn't have the weapons around him. Joe Burrow won a title at LSU in 2019 because he had a couple of all-pro wide receivers on both sides. Nussmeyer didn't have that. But one thing Nussmeyer has, just like Manning, he's been studying this his whole life. His father is an NFL offensive coordinator.

23:46Diego Pavia:he has been in the in in the SEC at a couple of places namely LSU and Alabama and and I think he's helped him prepare for the moment Brian Kelly gets upset with the kid sometimes because he just thinks he can do everything but that's what you want in a quarterback and I and I think whether he's better than Klevnik or not we'll find out in a couple weeks right now it's I would say Klevnik might be an edge better but Nussmeier is plenty good well we got to see that a bit in the

24:12Paul Finebaum:show Nussmeyer talking about how he grew up wanting to be QB1 at Louisiana. So he takes that with so much pride. But we also got to know and look at behind the scenes of Brian Kelly as well. It kind of feels like it's national championship or bust for Brian Kelly there at LSU. Would you say that that's possible for them this year?

24:33Diego Pavia:I think it is possible. I think what he has to do is get to the playoffs. Most fan bases have a tolerance level for a young player making a mistake, even one who's making a lot of money now, not LSU fans. There's two teams in the state of Louisiana that matter, the Saints and LSU, and there's no difference when it comes to how fans view them. I have been in Tiger Stadium after a bad play, and they are literally ready to get rid of the coach, even if he had just won a national championship. That's how tough they can be. So Nussmeier has survived that. I think Brian Kelly was helped a little bit by the fact that Marcus Freeman came this short of winning a title at Notre Dame because he left Notre Dame to go win a title at LSU.

25:17Diego Pavia:And his former school has done better. But I think he gets to the playoff. Legitimate shot to win it all. I have my life, mortgage, and everything associated with these 18 - to 21-year-olds. What am I, crazy?

25:33Paul Finebaum:Well, let's talk about the post-Saben era of Alabama, because it seems like they're still trying to find their footing. I just talked to Diego Pavia a moment ago, recapping Vanderbilt's huge win over Bama last year. But what do you make of Bama's team this year?

25:48Diego Pavia:I think they're going to be great. And I'm basing that on a number of things, but the most important addition has nothing to do with a player on the field. It has to do with Ryan Grubb, who is the offensive coordinator. Nick Saban tried to hire him his last year. He stayed at Washington and they ended up nearly winning a title with Kalen DeBoer. He did hire him a year ago and then he left to go to the Seahawks. He's finally back. And I think that is going to be the difference in what the offense looks like. Kalen DeBoer is one of the best coaches in the country. But having covered Alabama football for 45 years off and on, just because you're a lead doesn't mean you're going to make it.

26:30Diego Pavia:I think DeBoer can do it. The problem is the expectations at Alabama are unreasonable. Nick Saban won six national championships. He played at Alabama. He won one at LSU. He played for nine national championships. Two other times he was in the playoffs. Most coaches can make a career out of going to the playoffs or playing for a title. So no matter what Kalen DeBoer does, it won't be good enough. So you have to do very well. And last year he did poorly. The Vanderbilt game was inexcusable. First time in 40 years. I happen to have covered the last time Vanderbilt won. But that was one of the most amazing moments in time.

27:12Diego Pavia:And obviously talking to Diego, you heard plenty about it. But I'm still not sure I can believe what I saw last year.

27:18Paul Finebaum:Nick Saban basically says that it is Alabama if you go to watch. Vanderbilt play because what did he say? The famous quote, right? The toughest place you can play every place in the SEC is hard to play except for Vanderbilt. What do you make of that statement now?

27:33Diego Pavia:I've seen a couple handful of games in my life that I'll never forget that that would rank right there at the top.

27:38Paul Finebaum:You echo that same sentiment and everybody does that Vanderbilt was kind of the laughingstock of the SEC. At what point do we even allow them to be in the SEC any longer? And now you've got Diego Pavia in there, Coach Lee, really trying to bring up this program and revive it into something. Do you think that they can carry what they started last year into this year?

27:58Diego Pavia:I think they're at a certain point. And Clark Lee is unique because he said a couple of years ago, we're going to get it done. And I'll be honest, I laughed at him. I mean, there was no reason to believe it, but it's a very big moment. I mean, he beat not only Alabama, but he beat Auburn. He's had some significant moments. I think it will be hard to sustain it because the infrastructure there does not support where we are in college football. But if he never does another thing, he'll never buy a drink on Music Row in Nashville. I mean, he is a hero forever.

28:32Paul Finebaum:There's two more teams I want to talk to you about and kind of talking in the same breath of, you know, losing and what it's like to have to suffer through 10 losses, more losses than that. Mississippi State. Can Jeff Lebby turn that program around?

28:45Diego Pavia:This is where the guest gives you a bunch of gobbledygook and talks about this, but I'm going to give you a straight answer. No, I don't think it's possible. He's a very good coordinator. He's yet to prove very much as a head coach. And even as weighted as it is against Vanderbilt, it might even be more difficult for Mississippi State to survive in the current NIL era. They don't have the money. It's a great place. You've been there. It's enjoyable. It's fun. but I don't see how they're going to make any traction.

29:21Paul Finebaum:Yeah, we follow that throughout the show. And it was like, it's 0-7 in the SEC, but maybe we can win the Egg Bowl. That will revive the season. And then that gets crushed and you can just see it on his face. You can see it on the players' faces. He has no choice but to believe. He's the coach, right? He has to change it around, but getting a whole locker room to buy in after a season like that has got to be a tall task. The last school I want to ask you about is obviously selfish purposes. You went to University of Tennessee. I worked at University of Tennessee. Let's talk about the situation at quarterback there for the Vols, because it's just been headline after headline that is negative, right?

30:00Paul Finebaum:Maliava taken off. So what is going to happen now with the Vols?

30:04Diego Pavia:I'm just glad Nico's gone to UCLA, so I never have to try to pronounce his name again. He was a good quarterback, but he never lived up to the hype. Joey Aguilar is now their quarterback. So think about his journey. Appalachian State to UCLA didn't play a down. Now he's already back on the East Coast at Tennessee. I think Tennessee will struggle this year. They're good. Josh Heupel is a very innovative coach, but it just feels like they're stuck at the moment. When you lose a quarterback like that, it's a big blow, and you have to recover somehow. Getting Georgia a couple weeks into the season, maybe looks like an opportunity, but I've seen a lot of Georgia wins at Neyland Stadium, as you probably have.

30:50Diego Pavia:Going to the CFP almost turned into a negative experience last year, other than taking 40 ,000 people, many of whom took off their shirts and 20 degree weather in Columbus and looked like a great fan base. The game was a disaster, and I don't feel like Tennessee really got much traction out of it.

31:07Paul Finebaum:Actually, that reminds me. It's a great trigger warning for all Tennessee fans that watch this show. It does end on that brutal loss to Ohio State. So if you don't want a sour taste in your mouth, maybe just don't watch the final 15 minutes. I refuse to watch that. It's absolutely brutal. But hopefully Hype will configure something out as a Tennessee fan. I'm still I'm still believing Paul. So I you know, I have to take my biases out of it for the sake of reporting. But let's be real here and give my all for Tennessee. But thanks so much for hanging out with us. The last question that I have for you, and it's really just to have it on record.

31:42Paul Finebaum:Who's going to win the national championship? And is it going to be an SEC team?

31:45Diego Pavia:It is. And by the way, if it's not, I'm leaving the country because I am so sick and tired of being harassed by Big Ten fans on our show. And I mean, the Big Ten has literally done nothing. They won two national championships. Michigan won one two years ago. They won one and a half national championships, I think, before that in 70 years, and they act like they invented football. Alabama has won about 15 national championships in my lifetime. Now, I realize that's not a good comparison to a realistic lifespan, but I believe Texas is going to win. I didn't mean to avoid your question. It's going to end all this, and on January 20th, I'll be the happiest man in America because I won't have to listen to the big tenors or as my callers call them, the little tenors.

32:31Paul Finebaum:Paul Feinbaum's just done with the fact that an SEC team has not won the Natty in the last two years. This third season, he's like, absolutely get everyone else out of the way. I'd love to hear it. Paul, thanks so much for hanging out with us. We appreciate it.

32:43Diego Pavia:Such a pleasure. Thank you. The SEC is the greatest place in the world to play college football.

32:48Paul Finebaum:The SEC teams are winning the national championship. There's such small towns. Maybe there's 30 ,000. but then you pull up to the stadium and there's 90 ,000 people. If you play with this league, you will walk into the line.

33:05Diego Pavia:I mean, if you weren't a fan of college football, now you are an SEC fan as we have. SEC Football Any Given Saturday streaming and available on Netflix right now. You have to figure out where you are with the 2024 storylines, the behind-the-scenes access, the quick-paced drama with these seven episodes, and that'll get you set for 2025. as did Paul Feinbaum, such huge thanks to him. He's an icon, a wealth of knowledge. So for him to carve out a little bit of time in his busy schedule ahead of the 2025 season, I am forever grateful for his debut on the Netflix Sports Club podcast. Again, another great get with Diego Pavia joining us, turning Vanderbilt around with his intangibles, with his personality, and the kids can ball, clearly so.

33:51Diego Pavia:Very excited to see what 2025 has in store. You guys can stream on Netflix. You can comment on social media. And again, big thanks to Dani Klufinger for filling in and doing those awesome interviews for all of us. And if you want to tell Dani how well she did, please go to speakpipe slash Netflix sports. You can hit us up on social media at Netflix sports. Give us a like. Give us a follow. Give us a comment. Give us some directions, a wish list. Who do you want on the show next? We have all of that going on. I have to say, I loved all the interaction and the engagement with Jared Goff on quarterback two.

34:24Diego Pavia:And speaking of NFL, we have an incredible series debuting on Netflix, streaming starting August 19th. You have to check it out. We're going to take a look back on the Dallas dynasty of the 90s with Jerry Jones. It's an upcoming series called America's Team, The Gambler and His Cowboys. We'll be tackling that on our next episode here of the Netflix Sports Club podcast. No one ever thought Jerry had the guts to fire. I mean, you don't know half the stuff that was happening. Playing for the Cowboys is different.

34:56Paul Finebaum:The most valuable sports franchise in the world. No matter what they say, they can't prepare you.

35:07Diego Pavia:You just got to experience it. And the only thing else I got to say is, how about this Cowboy? The Netflix Sports Club podcast is a production of Netflix and Pod People. On the Netflix side, big thanks to our executive producers, Erica Brady, Andy Harris, Catherine Hug and Dave Markowitz. Our studio engineer is Scott Somerville. For Pod People, big thanks to our producers, Buffy Gorilla, Tony Mantia and Brian Rivers. This episode was edited for video by Kylie. Carter Wogan is our sound designer. I'm Kay Adams. Big thanks to all. Thanks for watching and listening, and we'll see you next time.