Review of “Bama Profiles in Courage: Laykin”: (Capers) Barr flexes through an emotional range that most writers would never dare attempt … Humor and Bama sorrow are fused together like twined tree trunks that keep each other standing…..It’s part satire, part character study, with a wry lens on fame, fandom, and the modern South. Well done, Capers, well done.”– Ian Allen, The Times Literary Supplement.
College football didn’t see it coming — or maybe it just didn’t want to. No five-star blue bloods. No Manning nephews. No bleach-blonde west coast QB with a dad in real estate. Just four Mexican-American chavos out here burning coverages, running up-tempo like a street race, and forcing fumbles like rent’s due. Four names. Four…
College football didn’t see it coming — or maybe it just didn’t want to.
No five-star blue bloods. No Manning nephews. No bleach-blonde west coast QB with a dad in real estate.
Just four Mexican-American chavos out here burning coverages, running up-tempo like a street race, and forcing fumbles like rent’s due.
Four names. Four schools. Four different styles of play — but all of them carry the same thing onto the field: a little bit of swagger, a lot of chips, and a last name that may or may not have a “Z’ and is served with the salsa.
These are Los Latin Kings — and you’re either making space for them, or you’re getting run through like a paper banner on homecoming.
🧨 THE FOUR FRONT-RUNNERS:
Diego Pavia – QB, Vanderbilt
Nickname:El Chingón
What a pain in the ass…
On Pavia, “Qué chiquillo tan chingón”, Jerry Kill
This dude plays like Johnny Manziel got dropped off in East LA with a 12-pack of Jarritos and told to figure it out. He transferred from New Mexico State to Vandy, which is like switching from a food truck to a country club kitchen and still cooking with the same fire.
He’s got swagger, chaos, even texting in cholo olde English script, and lately, a training camp in the desert with Johnny Manziel and Theo Von.
Theo might be tagging Diego’s mom… maybe? Is this normal?
Shirtless. Always shirtless. What are they doing out there? No one knows.
Vandy’s winning, yeah — but it don’t feel like a rebuild. It feels like Pavia just slammed the hood on a ‘64 Impala after fixing it with stolen parts, wiped his hands on the jersey, and said, ‘Let’s ride. for the 505’.
Fernando Mendoza – QB, Indiana
Nickname:La Barbie (like the doll)
Comparing Pavia to Mendoza is like comparing New Mexico versus Colorado green chiles. If Pavia is a Hatch Valley green chile, then Mendoza is a smoother, less-bite Colorado variety.
Technically sound. Clean pocket footwork. Quick release. Plays like a guy whose mom made him do math homework before practice. He’s the least flashy of the group, but his efficiency numbers are tier one — and Indiana’s offense hasn’t looked this organized since the Clinton administration.
He’s the anti-highlight-reel: surgical, unbothered, and annoyingly reliable.
Picture it: he’s that one lowrider that looks slow but pulls away from fools at every stoplight. That’s Mendoza. Doesn’t flash. Doesn’t dance. But he’ll slice your defense like he’s got a cuchillo in his sock.
If he were a dish, he’d be arroz con pollo — your mom’s casita’s borderland classic. There are no substitutions.
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