The Baltimore Ravens wasted no time filling out their quarterback depth chart after the 2026 NFL Draft, signing two undrafted free agents to three-year contracts on Tuesday: former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and former UConn signal-caller Joe Fagnano.
Pavia, 24, had been expected to audition at Baltimore’s rookie minicamp, which runs from Friday, May 1, through Sunday, May 3. Instead, the Ravens moved to lock him up in advance — a decision that underscores how seriously the organization views the former Heisman Trophy finalist, even as questions about his size and character contributed to him going undrafted in this year’s three-day selection event.
The 5-foot-10 dual-threat passer finished second in the 2025 Heisman Trophy race behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, becoming the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch in 2014. At Vanderbilt, Pavia led the Commodores to a 10–3 record this past season — the program’s first double-digit win campaign in school history — while pacing the SEC in completion percentage at 70.6 percent, passing touchdowns with 29, and passer rating at 170.4. He added 862 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on the ground. Over six collegiate seasons spanning stints at New Mexico Military Institute, New Mexico State, and Vanderbilt, Pavia compiled 10,255 passing yards, 88 touchdown passes, and 3,094 rushing yards.
Fagnano, 25, arrives from UConn, where he became the first Husky quarterback to start every game in a season since 2017. He threw 28 touchdown passes against just one interception in 2025, leading UConn to consecutive nine-win seasons. He stands 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds — a physical contrast to Pavia — and brings a reputation as a precise pocket passer. Fagnano was originally invited to Baltimore’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis before the Ravens converted that invite to a full contract.
Both players will compete for the third quarterback spot behind two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley. Baltimore’s 2026 roster is set to operate under new head coach Jesse Minter in his first season leading the franchise.
For Spartanburg and Wofford College, the Ravens signing is more than a headline — it is a reminder of a deep institutional bond between Spartanburg’s flagship FCS program and professional football in Baltimore. In 2026, Wofford safety Maximus Pulley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, and offensive lineman Quincy Hughes received a minicamp invite from the Las Vegas Raiders, continuing the Terriers’ recent pipeline of FCS talent to the NFL. The connection between Wofford and the Ravens franchise stretches back further: Jerry Richardson, Wofford’s most celebrated football alumnus, was drafted in the 13th round by the Baltimore Colts in 1958 — the same franchise that eventually relocated and became today’s Ravens — and caught a touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 NFL Championship game. Richardson later founded the Carolina Panthers, who have held their summer training camp on Wofford’s Spartanburg campus every year since 1995, making it one of the longest-running partnerships in professional sports.
The Ravens move to sign two QBs as UDFAs reflects a broader trend this cycle. Haynes King landed with the Carolina Panthers, Jalon Daniels went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Mark Gronowski — who played at South Dakota State and Iowa — signed with the Miami Dolphins. Each quarterback brings a different profile to compete for a roster or practice squad spot heading into training camp this summer.
Pavia and Fagnano will get their first look at the Baltimore system beginning May 1 at rookie minicamp in Owings Mills, Maryland. Whether either earns a spot on the 53-man roster when cutdown day arrives this August remains to be seen — but the Ravens’ decision to guarantee their spots ahead of camp signals that both players enter with more than a token invitation.
