Through his play on the field and his boisterous personality off of it, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has emerged as a household name in college football . His dynamic play style earned him a spot as a Heisman Trophy finalist and propelled the Commodores to their first 10-win season in program history.

But Pavia doesn't have the background typical of this sport's stars. He was an unheralded recruit out of high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and began his collegiate journey at the junior college level with New Mexico Military Institute.

He almost took an entirely different path than the one that led him to Nashville. During a recent appearance on "The Pivot Podcast ," Pavia revealed that Deion Sanders offered him a scholarship at Jackson State after his two years at

See Full Page