In 60 minutes, Vanderbilt football totally flipped the national narrative about itself. When the Commodores beat Alabama in October, Clark Lea’s group went from the perpetual cellar-dweller, which had spent the past several years playing in an active construction site, to a competent, fun team, that could beat anyone in the country on its best day.

By the time the FirstBank Stadium goalposts landed in the Cumberland River, two miles from the field, Diego Pavia was a superstar. The New Mexico State transfer talked trash in postgame interviews, then backed it up the rest of the year, leading Vanderbilt to a rare bowl appearance.

Speaking Monday at SEC media days in Atlanta, Pavia was asked how his life had changed since the win. He mostly focused on team-related differences, but recalled a recent podcast appearance.

“Maybe I get to hang out with some cool people,” Pavia said. “I hung out with (comedian) Theo (Von). Obviously, recruiting-wise, we got in some good talent. We were able to get in the transfer portal and get some good wide receivers, some good O-linemen. We returned two of the top O-linemen because of the transfer portal… We’re super excited to have those guys and then all the talent around us. I mean, we’re fully loaded on offense this year, and so e have weapons left and right. We’ll be really exciting to watch.”

The Commodores finished 2025 7-6, with a Birmingham Bowl win over Georgia Tech. According to Pavia, that’s not enough.

“I want to finish something I started,” Pavia said. “And that’s going to win a national championship. And last we we fell short, so this year we’re looking forward to the season.”

That part won’t be easy. Vanderbilt still has the institutional limitations it always has, and won’t be a favorite to compete at the top of the SEC in 2025. Still, perceptions have changed.

“People started looking,” cornerback Martel Hight said in Atlanta. “Some people thought it was a fluke. Some people thought it was, you know, luck. And then we had our diehard fans who actually believed in us. So it’s just been mixed personalities and feelings and emotions toward it.”

The Commodores open the season Aug. 30 against Charleston Southern. Expectations have never been higher.

However, Lea, entering his fifth season as head coach in Nashville, cautioned that VU still needs to put in the work.

“As energized as we may be for where we are, it’s important to acknowledge we’ve been here before,” Lea said. “Two years ago I stood before you messaging excitement and progress. That gave way to a failed season. We went backward before we could move forward. Progress is seldom linear.”