Pat McAfee shocked by 'heel turn' from Heisman finalist

Good behavior and the Heisman Trophy are not necessarily synonymous, but Pat McAfee was surprised by a breach of usual protocol over the past weekend. While most Heisman finalists are honored by being chosen among the nation's four best players, that's apparently not a universal experience.

Whatever the reasoning, the 2025 Heisman Trophy might be remembered less for a gracious and fairly unremarkable victory by Fernando Mendoza than for the antics of one of the other finalists. McAfee spoke out on The Pat McAfee Show about some displeasure with the actions of runner-up Diego Pavia.

Heisman Hijinks

Pavia found himself in the news after dropping disrespectful comments about Mendoza and about the Heisman voting process. He was seen clubbing in New York City after the ceremony making a lewd gesture beside a profane sign Mendoza's Indiana Hoosiers. And judging from McAfee's comments plenty of people noticed the transition from gutsy underdog to ungracious bore.

McAfee's Take

I don't think I've seen anybody have a bigger heel turn in one weekend than Diego Pavia. Anybody who's flashy and talks a lot of s--t is going to be hated by a group of people regardless. But then this weekend, with how it all went, I think a lot of people kind of turned on Diego Pavia.
Pat McAfee

Pavia's Story

Pavia's backstory made him a popular underdog. A JUCO QB who rose to minor fame at New Mexico State, Pavia shocked the college football world last season by leading Vanderbilt in an upset of No. 1 Alabama. This year, he put up massive numbers and led Vanderbilt to a 10-2 season that left him just shy of the Heisman Trophy and the Commodores just shy of the College Football Playoff.

Pavia's NFL Future

But Pavia's poor off-field decision making has some questioning his football future. A season ago, Shedeur Sanders dropped wildly in the NFL Draft after his character was questioned. McAfee was quick to note that many are now calling for Pavia's conduct to be considered in the same light as Sanders's issues.

That said, given Pavia's dual-threat game and lack of prototypical passer size, it's far from certain that he's a significant NFL Draft prospect, independent of his off-field issues. "I don't think anybody's really talking about Diego Pavia being in the NFL period," stated McAfee. After a bizarre weekend, most people talking about Pavia are doing so based on his off-field performance.