Now in its third season, the UFL continues to wander somewhat aimlessly amid the sports landscape. They pop some good ratings here and there, attendance is decent in some locations, but there just isn't much of a buzz about the product outside of the UFL fan bubble. One of the major problems is the UFL doesn't have that recognizable face, that marketable name that breaks through into the sports mainstream. They don't have that singular player that draws fans or eyeballs to the games.
Diego Pavia could be that guy.
Pavia, the Heisman Trophy finalist, went unselected in the NFL Draft this past weekend. In the flurry of undrafted free agent signings afterward, he was not offered a contract. Instead, he'll try out for the Baltimore Ravens at their upcoming rookie minicamp.
This wouldn't be the first time in recent memory a spring football league made overtures to a Heisman runner-up: In 2000, the XFL tried to recruit QB Josh Hamilton to join the league for its inaugural 2001 season. Hamilton, though, was drafted in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and opted for that route instead.
It's been a humbling process for the uber-confident Pavia, who set records at Vanderbilt before finishing second in the Heisman balloting. Pavia was known as much for his whirlwind style of play as he was for his off-the-field shenanigans. If you watched college football in the last two years - as tens of millions have - you know the name Diego Pavia.
The UFL needs what Pavia has to offer. They need his marketability, his swagger, his on-field unpredictability. He would be the league's first legitimate draw, in that fans would come to the stadium and tune in on TV to watch him play. Pavia is appointment television.
Of course, he won't come cheap. Depending on the UFL's desire (or ability) to break the bank, they'd probably have to dole out more money to get Pavia than they would the usual quarterback. There's the potential to make that money back ten-fold if they use Pavia right, as an ambassador for the league and as a star who can do interviews and be in commercials. It would also take an ego check for Pavia to join the UFL, one he may not be ready to make at this point.
There's something in it for Pavia too, though, provided he doesn't get signed by the Ravens after his tryout. Pavia went undrafted for a few main reasons: First, there were questions about whether he was ready to be a professional football player and accept all the responsibility that comes with it; second, concerns about his height (5'10") lorded over the pre-draft process; and third, his ability to play within a professional system was questioned after he spent the last two years in a more college-style Vanderbilt offense.
Pavia can answer many of those questions in the UFL. These are pro offenses he'd be running; he could show his short stature would not be a limiting factor if he can make all the throws from the pocket; and he could keep his nose clean and stay out of the headlines off the field while being the leader he showed he could be at Vandy on the field. If he could check those boxes, even at the UFL level, it would alleviate some of the fears NFL teams had about him.
The downside for the UFL is this would be a short-term proposition. You're talking maybe three games Pavia would play in, plus the playoffs if his team makes it. After that, he'd be free to sign with an NFL team and in an ideal world he would, potentially ending his association with the UFL. There's also the chance that he could sign with the NFL this summer and not make a team, returning to the UFL next year. Given his status as undrafted and unsigned, that's not out of the realm of possibility. You'd have a full off-season to market around Pavia in that case.
If nothing else, the UFL would get a bump in publicity as they begin the homestretch of the 2026 season. They need to create some kind of momentum for 2027 and beyond, a way to reach those sports fans who still don't know the league exists. Signing Pavia would add legitimacy in the eyes of the non-believers and create that stir. He would also be the personification of what spring football is supposed to be all about: Fun. He could be the UFL's pitchman, or the face of on-field entertainment like Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes respectively have been for the NFL. Pavia may never be a star in the NFL, but he could certainly be just that in the UFL.