Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia got a surprise from idol Johnny Manziel thanks to ESPN

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is the toast of the college football world this week after he led the Commodores to their shocking Alabama upset this past Saturday.

During an interview with ESPN about the win, Pavia was asked about why he compares his game to former Texas A&M great Johnny Manziel.

“I think we kind of bring the same, electric mentality to the football game, to the football field,” Pavia said in the interview about comparing himself to Manziel.

Although Pavia said he’d not gotten a chance to talk to Manziel just yet, he added that he feels they’re both wired differently and would do anything to win.

Well, ESPN fixed that pretty quickly as the network surprised Pavia with a virtual meeting with Manziel, which delighted the Vandy quarterback.

“So fun to watch,” Manziel told Pavia about Vandy’s Alabama upset. “Couldn’t be happier for you. I mean, sitting there watching the whole thing play out, man. It has to feel like, you know, maybe 2012 for me.”

Pavia and Manziel’s exchange was pretty brief, but you could tell just how excited the Commodores quarterback was to meet his idol and how much Manziel appreciated his comparison.

After all, Manziel and Texas A&M shocked the world in 2012 when that team beat a top-ranked Alabama. It was only fitting that Pavia and Vanderbilt follow in those footsteps.

Diego Pavia's favorite QB, Johnny Manziel, surprised the Vandy QB to congratulate him on the big win over Bama pic.twitter.com/1oZeuoQtVM

— ESPN (@espn) October 9, 2024

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.