Heisman Finalist Diego Pavia Recalls His Vanderbilt Teammate “Scrubbing Toilets” Before SEC Turnaround

The monster NIL deals and lucrative head coaching contracts have been hogging the headlines lately, but make no mistake, the ‘every man’ can still find success in the world of college football. If you need an example, look no further than this year’s Heisman finalist, Diego Pavia.

The senior quarterback for the Commodores has been making the rounds on various podcasts in recent weeks, and he most recently joined his fellow finalist for a round of interviews with ESPN. Instead of talking about himself, however, Pavia decided to shine the spotlight on his teammates and some of their individual journeys.

“We’ve got a lot of underdogs,” Pavia explained. “Richie Hoskins… He was a D3 lacrosse player who transformed into a wide receiver in the SEC. We’ve got M.K. [Makhilyn Young,] who was scrubbing toilets last year. Our O-Line was all people who were given up on… We’ve got a lot of players who really didn’t have a great opportunity to succeed in the college football space, and so, for us, it was wanting it for ourselves,” he added.

Pavia’s testimony is proof that, even in college athletics, one man’s trash can become another’s treasure. Although considering the context of Young’s actual work, he likely isn’t too ashamed.

Before his 2025 campaign with the Commodores, the dual-threat RB had actually decided to spend his time at Greater Ideal Baptist Church, located in Midland, Texas. Daily, Young would tend to the church’s Life Center, doing whatever was necessary to help out.

Cleaning toilets, mopping floors, and tidying up the facility were all a part of his weekly routine. For many soon-to-be SEC running backs, that experience would have been disheartening, but to Young, he had simply chosen to dedicate a year of his life to god.

He found fulfillment rather than regrets, and according to the young man himself, “God spoke through me to speak to the congregation. It was the best feeling in the world. That’s my joy.”

Vanderbilt’s prayers for a playoff spot may have gone unanswered, but for guys like Young and Pavia, there isn’t much pain to be felt there. A group of outcasts and misfits managed to come together and create one of the best seasons in the history of their program, while also finishing with the third-best win percentage in the SEC, and at the end of the day, isn’t that what college football is all about?