Coming into this season, what were the expectations for you and this ball club?

Well, we set out in January that we want to win the national championship.

Um, we feel like we're the best team in college football still.

Our defense is really good, our offense is good, um, and our special teams is good.

So we just put those three together.

Shoot, you know what it is.

And...

W- I, I was just in the huddle, and we came off the timeout, and the first play was supposed to go to me.

And-

Well, I, I was just in the huddle, and we came off the timeout and the first play was supposed to go to me, and then, uh, they changed it up and gave it to Ceddy.

Ceddy got it, got it close or whatever, and I knew that next play, I knew, I knew that bitch was going to me, so I was like, "Shoot."

Mm-hmm.

Um, dude, we're really excited just to get another opportunity to play though.

Uh, our defense is playing lights out.

Our o-line, they were, they were coming up to me after the game and they're like, "Yo, bro, sorry, sorry, sorry." And I'm like, "Dude, we won, you know?"

Yeah.

Exactly.

And so I was thinking of doing, like, maybe one of those.

And it was, like, literally a week before, and then the NMI offensive coordinator, Coach Kiser, came into my school and was like, "Hey, you need to come to NMI.

Like, this is ...

It'll work out well for you.

Um, we've had five Division I quarterbacks in three years.

Why? What's special about him?

Mm-hmm.

You know, the- the approach, you know, certain things that you had to work for that, when you go to a Vanderbilt, when you go to a Auburn, they just give you these type of things.

Now, you know, to Shay's question, she's asked, "Why should, you know, you deserve the Heisman Trophy?" But I'll ask you this question.

What makes Diego Pavia different than any other college prospect for the next level outside of the Heisman Trophy? I'll tell you this.

Mm-hmm.

And so, I got great respect for you, Cam, and I appreciate you.

But I think what makes me, uh, ready for the next level is that I can...

What I feel like I can do is I can li- uplift a team that can get...

So how does it feel now to have done all the things you said you were gonna do and sitting here with a real shot tomorrow?

Well, I think it was a big team effort this year.

I just knew the talent that we had in the, uh, what was it, like, the month before, like in June and July.

And a lot of people doubted us, and we just went out there and proved ourselves.

And we got a lot of underdogs on the team, you know, people who, Richie Hoskins, who transferred in from a D3, um, Elias Dowers, who no one wanted him out of Texas A&M, and we just really, this is just to name a few guys, but we all just came here to prove a point, and we wanted the College Football Playoffs.

And, um, but now we're focused on the bowl game, and we're super excited to play Iowa.

... for you from the inside to, with Coach Lee, build this thing and feel national excitement around this team?

It's been a blessing.

Like, are you ever into where you're, like, pitching the brand and pitching, like, what this place is like without you being here?

Oh yeah.

I- I, uh, I pitched it to Jared Curtis when, uh, when I...

I got to see him on one of our bye weeks, I went to one of his games.

And dude, that kid's arm is live.

He is nasty.

Like, you guys are gonna see this kid and he's gonna take the college football world by storm.

... where you gotta be like, "Hey, let them be them."

When does it start to sink in? Or, like, when does the conversations and thought process start to happen that I can go somewhere else now?

So what happened was, at New Mexico State, um, we were two and three, ended up ten and three.

So, like, my game, we're, like, on a win streak, and, uh, we're about to go to the conference championship and stuff.

And so, like, before that, like, a game before when we were, like, nine and three, my coach gets in my ear, like, "Hey, I gotta, I got someone calling me from a Power Four school.

You'd really like it.

I want you to come with me when the season's over." I was like, "All right.

Bet." Like, "This is my opportunity." You know? And so he, he's doing his thing, and then it's our offensive coordinator.

Cool.

Coming into this season, what were the expectations for you and this ball club?

Well, we set out in January that we want to win the national championship.

Um- We feel like we're the best team in college football still.

Our defense is really good, our offense is good, um, and our special teams is good.

So we just put those three together, shoot, you know what it is.

And-

Well, I, I was just in the huddle, and we came off the timeout, and the first play was supposed to go to me.

And then, uh, they changed it up and gave it to Ceddy.

Coming into this season, what were the expectations for you and this ball club?

Well, we said out in January that we wanted to win the national championship.

Um, we feel like we're the best team in college football still.

Our defense is really good, our offense is good, um, and our special teams is good.

So we just put those three together.

Shoot, you know what it is.

And we gonna put pressure on them to g- make them go down and get a touchdown against our defense." And-

I, I was just in the huddle, and we came off the timeout, and the first play was supposed to go to me.

[laughs]

I, I like it.

With the, the confidence you have, not only the way you play, the way you speak, the way you carry yourself, the way you walk, you, you move, your aura.

You move like you him.

Where does that confidence come from? Especially at the quarterback position most of the time it's frowned upon.

They want to be buttoned up and, and say all the right things, but I like your style.

I like your style and do you think once you get to the next level please tell me you will remain the same way you are now.

And we gonna put pressure on them to g- make them go down and get a touchdown against our defense if-

ball? NAIA so after a game like that or any big win I think it would be difficult to get focused quickly because you went on Saturday Sunday's big day of celebrating even though you're supposed to turn the page but then Monday you're back around other people and all they want to do is tell you that's amazing you're doing interviews based on that how hard is it to get back on track after a massive win

Yeah, I remember we were playing Kentucky.

They just came off a big win of Ole Miss.

And so I knew I had to get on track quick.

So what I did that week, I knew it was going to be very busy.

I studied a lot that Sunday night and then Monday we were off.

So Monday morning I was studying a lot just at home and stuff.

you choose NIMI?

When does it start to sink in? Or, like, when does the conversations and thought process start to happen that I can go somewhere else now?

So what happened was, at New Mexico State, um, we were two and three, ended up 10 and three.

So, like, my game, we're, like, on a win streak, and, uh, we're about to go to the conference championship and stuff.

And so, like, before that, like, a game before when we were, like, nine and three, my coach gets in my ear, like, "Hey, I got a, I got someone calling me from a Power Four school.

You'd really like it.

I want you to come with me when the season's over." I was like, "All right, bet." Like, "This is my opportunity," you know? And so he, he's doing his thing, and then it's our offensive coordinator, so our offensive coordinator at the end of the season leaves, and he's like, "All right, I'm going to Vandy." And so he wanted me to come with him, but Coach Keel's still at New Mexico State.

Then Coach Keel a week later decides to retire, and then I was like, "Okay, well, if I hire the defensive coordinator, then I'll stay." They didn't hire him, that was my sign later.

Cool.