We all know Hugh Freeze didn't pursue Diego Pavia when he had the chance during the January 2024 transfer portal window, instead insisting on sticking with Payton Thorne as the Auburn Tigers' starting quarterback and trying to find a backup among Hank Brown, Walker White, and Holden Geriner.
What we didn't know is that Freeze quite literally laughed at Pavia's suggestion to sign him after a 31-10 victory for the New Mexico State Aggies under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium during the 2023 season.
Pavia revealed as much during a recent appearance on Barstool Sports' Jon Gruden's QB Class, recalling telling Freeze after the unfathomable upset of Auburn, "Dude, come get me. Come get me," to no avail.
“The week before, I pulled my hamstring. So I really wasn't supposed to play (that) week. But I was like, 'No this is my time.' Everyone’s hitting the transfer portal, moving up. I’m thinking, if we put these guys away, Auburn’s going to offer me," Pavia said.
Diego Pavia would've been a QB upgrade over everyone in Auburn's room
Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Freeze could say it wasn't an obvious signing at the time, and White was, but clearly, there were doubts in Thorne's performance, since he was replaced quickly in the 2024 season by Brown. That, of course, didn't work out and didn't last. Thorne was back under center before long during SEC play, and the result was a 5-7 record. Of course, the 2025 season ended the same way in East Central Alabama, 5-7, just with Jackson Arnold and Ashton Daniels splitting snaps for an unimpressive offense.
Freeze could've rolled the dice on Pavia after being humbled by him on his homefield, but the Vanderbilt Commodores ended up being the beneficiaries of his portal entry in 2024. Pavia, of course, went on to beat Freeze again on the Plains in 2024 and then defeated DJ Durkin in his first game as interim head coach this past November. Vanderbilt won 10 games in 2025 and was one of the first snubs from the CFP field.
He probably doesn't have much of an NFL future as an undersized QB, but Pavia had one hell of a collegiate past at AU's expense.
Who's laughing now?