Diego Pavia is likely seeing the Heisman Trophy every time he shuts his eyes. After a long, grinding journey, the Vanderbilt quarterback has finally reached the moment he’s been chasing. Whether the dream cashes in or not is still up in the air, but Pavia’s been openly vulnerable in the way he talks about the possibility. And when you look back at the path that brought him here, it’s easy to understand why he feels no need to apologize for that honesty.

“I don’t want it to come off as cocky or arrogant,” said Pavia on the eve of this season’s Dec. 13 Heisman Trophy ceremony. “I feel like sometimes I have to be my own cheerleader in a way. Because, obviously, as an underdog, paying to walk on in JUCO, you’ve kind of got to be own cheerleader. And it just never left my head.”

Pavia took hi

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