Who is Vanderbilt's quarterback if Diego Pavia has an injury? A look at Clark Lea's options
Vanderbilt football isn't even pretending to have a starting quarterback competition this spring.
Diego Pavia, who last season led the Commodores to a 7-6 record and an upset win over Alabama along with a win in the Birmingham Bowl, is the unquestioned starter for 2025 after winning an extra year of eligibility in a court case.
However, there is still a competition going on in the quarterback room. After last season's backup Nate Johnson transferred back to Utah, it remains to be seen who will back up Pavia.
Vanderbilt has five scholarship quarterbacks for spring practice and has a freshman, Jack Elliott, coming in for the fall. Drew Dickey, Blaze Berlowitz, Jeremy St-Hilaire and Whit Muschamp are all jockeying for position.
Dickey, a redshirt junior, has only appeared in one game in three years at Vanderbilt, in 2023. He has never attempted a pass. However, he has been around the longest.
Berlowitz came over from New Mexico State as a transfer along with Pavia after the Commodores hired Tim Beck as offensive coordinator. His lone college appearance was in the 2023 Conference USA championship game.
St-Hilaire and Muschamp are both redshirt freshmen from the Chattanooga area who did not see game action in 2024.
"Right now, (it's) a little inconsistent," coach Clark Lea said Tuesday. "We're throwing the ball to the defense too often. I think there's two things there. One is playing better in the secondary. Two, you've got to make good decisions with the ball, but you want whoever ends up being the number two to know that we can be consistent.
"We can play through the other 10 players on the field. And so that's what I'll be looking for, and there's no reason for us to try to set that down right now. I think we use our remaining scrimmage opportunities to really evaluate the room."
Berlowitz seems like the early leader for the backup job, though that competition is far from over. With new roster limits beginning in the fall that allow teams to have up to 105 players, it's likely that one or more of the backup quarterback competition losers will transfer when the spring portal opens April 16.
TWO-WAY PLAYER? Clark Lea doesn't need Martel Hight to be Travis Hunter but could have his first Vanderbilt two-way player
For Berlowitz, having learned behind Pavia and gained experience in Beck's offense has provided an advantage.
"I've learned a lot from Diego," Berlowitz said. "We've been really good friends for a long time. Took a lot of leadership skills from him as well, and then just learned the game. He's been a great leader, great friend, and blessed having him."
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Diego Pavia backup QB: Vanderbilt football options for Clark Lea
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