It was a wild night for the Pavia family in Knoxville, Tennessee, both on and off the field.

While Diego Pavia was leading his Vanderbilt Commodores to a 45-24 road victory over the Volunteers, his family was busy causing chaos in the stands.

It all started when officers from Tennessee had to warn his family not to hang over the railing during the game. Videos from the stadium show Pavia’s family arguing with police and security. At one point, one of his bothers can be heard screaming, “the SEC has the same rules everywhere, it should be no different.”

He later yelled, “We’re about to take over this state, you’ll find out.”


Eventually, Diego’s brother, Javier Pavia, was escorted out of the stadium and arrested by officers. Reports from Tyler Whetstone claim that he refused to take down a flag blocking people’s views and got “mouthy” with police who asked him to remove it.


Photographers outside the stadium captured several photos of the Pavia brother getting handcuffed against a police vehicle.


Sadly, this isn’t the first time a Pavia brother has been arrested at a Vanderbilt game this year. The good news is that this time it was only one brother in handcuffs at the end of the night, and not two.

Diego Pavia Has Heisman-Worthy Performance vs. Tennessee

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (2) poses as the Heisman trophy after winning a NCAA football game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 29, 2025.
While the Pavia’s were causing a scene in the stands, it was Diego who was going off on the field.

The Vandy quarterback had the type of statement game he needed to give himself a shot at earning a seat in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony in two weeks. The senior from New Mexico threw for 268 yards and added another 165 on the ground along with two total touchdowns in the blowout win.

Now, all that’s left to do is wait and see if there’s a Heisman Trophy and a spot in the College Football Playoff in Pavia and the Commodores’ future.