This is an opinion column.

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Diego Pavia, governor of Alabama, will go down as one of the most consequential athletes in the history of the Southeastern Conference.

First, he swept the state of Alabama in his first season as the quarterback at Vanderbilt. Then came his rout of the NCAA.

What’s next?

After watching Pavia work his rugged magic against Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl, I’m starting to wonder if he can lead the Commodores to an SEC championship next season and win the Heisman Trophy, too.

I know one thing after witnessing his brand of brilliance this season. It’s not wise to bet against the guy.

Pavia accounted for five touchdowns in Vanderbilt’s 35-27 victory against Georgia Tech at rain-sodden Protective Stadium. It was easily one of the best Birmingham Bowls in the 18-year history of the game. The crowd was excellent despite the cold and rainy conditions, and the teams played their Nerd Bowl with all the hatred and toughness of a rivalry game between Vandy and Tech circa 1910.

Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech are two of the original Southern universities that introduced the Deep South to college football. Now they’re mostly just schools for smart kids, although Georgia Tech did one of the dumbest things in the history of America back in 1964 when it allowed former coach Bobby Dodd to leave the SEC over his silly beef with Paul Bryant and Alabama.

I’d love to see Georgia Tech be readmitted to the SEC, and I know I’m not alone in that opinion. We might need a straight jacket and a tranquilizer gun for Tech coach Brent Key, though. He came unglued against Vanderbilt in the third quarter after a series of questionable calls, and his lack of composure gave Vandy an edge.

It wasn’t the officials that ultimately tipped the advantage for Vandy, though. It was Pavia, the quarterback for the Commodores who is 4-0 for his career against teams coached by Hugh Freeze and Kalen DeBoer.

Pavia has a knack for driving the best coaches in the business completely insane.

This season, DeBoer’s Alabama could never figure out how to stop Pavia on third down. Pavia then played through pain against Auburn, but still found a way to come out on top. He was back to his old self against Tech and they couldn’t stop him.

Pavia passed for three touchdowns, ran for two and then afterwards dropped a hint to everyone that he’s ready to lead Vanderbilt to even more next season.

“This is just a stepping stone of what we want to do here at Vanderbilt,” Pavia said. “We’ve got bigger dreams.”

Pavia is already a cult hero in the SEC, but he would go down as a revolutionary icon if he returns to his adopted honky-tonk town and leads the ‘Dores to an SEC championship. After everything we’ve seen, do you still doubt his ability?

There’s football tough in the SEC and then there’s Pavia tough. I watched him in person three times this season. He’s more like a UFC fighter on the field than a quarterback. He just fast enough to outrace defenders for first downs and more than strong enough to meet any linebacker or safety head on.

He’s more than a little crazy, too. In the Birmingham Bowl, he enjoyed pointing to Tech’s middle linebacker before the snap. I’m coming for you.

There are brains to go with that brawn, though. After this past season, Pavia sued the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. It worked. A judge awarded him an injunction, and the NCAA was then forced to give every current FBS player who spent time at a junior college an extra year of eligibility.

The ramifications of Pavia’s fight against the NCAA will have a major impact on college football next season.

But can Vanderbilt actually win the SEC in 2025?

The combination of the transfer portal and money for players has changed the game. Vandy will probably need a couple more pieces to be a true contender, but the opportunity is there and so is the desire. The ‘Dores are back.

Pavia will be one of the most electric players in the country next season. Who wouldn’t want to play with him?

BE HEARD

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Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”