Razorbacks Might be Catching Vanderbilt at Right Time in 2026 – Sports Illustrated

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FAYTETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas may not have a better opportunity to steal an SEC road win in 2026 than its October trip to Vanderbilt..
It has been a good two year run for Vanderbilt and coach Clark Lea. But, after losing much of his veteran talent, swagger and Heisman finalist Diego Pavia, it's fair to doubt they can sustain momentum.
The Commodores will field a disciplined defense, but it all comes down to what happens behind center this fall. Like Vanderbilt, the Razorbacks will have a new starter at quarterback and both KJ Jackson and AJ Hill had their growing pains during the spring.
For Vanderbilt, multi-year backup Blaze Berlowitz and 5-star true freshman Jared Curtis will continue to battle for the starting spot going into fall camp, which is exactly what Lea wants to happen.
"I'm not going to make a quarterback decision right now,” Lea said in March. “My goal is for each of these guys to be positioned to compete at the highest level in the fall. They all bring to the table things that can help us win, but we need to take the time to make sure we've seen this super clearly."
Curtis’ performance in Vanderbilt’s spring game was exactly what you’d expect out of a true freshman in his first semester of college.
The lights are brighter, and the game is much faster than high school which is going to make for a tough transition period. Curtis finished the day by completing 5-of-13 passes for 88 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Berlowitz has bided time for his moment to be the guy for Vanderbilt. Not only does he have a stronger arm, but has the wheels to go along with it.
As a high school senior at Cushing (Okla.) High School, he completed 67% of his passes for 3,654 yards, 54 touchdowns and only four interceptions while adding another 134 yards and two scores on the ground.
The rushing stats don’t look like much, but his skill translates to the gridiron as a capable improviser and someone who can steal the starting job from Curtis.
“For (Curtis) to close the gap, and I think it’s important for us to give him time to close the gap — time is going to give him the opportunity to grow into the system, into the structure,” Lea said following the Commodores Spring Game. “That position needs to be able to line up the other 10 and get them pointed in the same direction.”
Whether or not Curtis has the natural ability to be a quarterback, he has to show command of the huddle. Can he go out there and execute a two-minute offense? How do his teammates respond to his leadership?
“From a physical standpoint, [Curtis] is there,” Lea added. “From a mental processing point, that’s where we have to cover ground, and that’s where we’ll be focused.”
There is plenty of time for Curtis to catch up, but it’s important for any young man to not be rushed into the spotlight.
That’s especially true for him as he is in the running to replace a Heisman Trophy finalist in Diego Pavia, an unprecedented moment in program history.
That is where Arkansas’ rebuilt defense enters the fold. If the Razorbacks can speed up Vanderbilt’s quarterback, whether it is Curtis or Berlowitz, this becomes one of Silverfield’s best chances to steal an SEC road win in Year One.
The Razorbacks appear to be more versatile defensively on paper this fall, and did exactly that throughout spring practice. As a unit, they even forced an interception by Memphis transfer quarterback AJ Hill in the spring game.
Collectively, Arkansas brings in 17 new defensive backs while only retaining one in veteran safety Miguel Mitchell, who withdrew from the transfer portal.
What many of the new additions bring to the table is an ability to force big plays in the secondary with 16 defenders combining for 21 total turnovers during their college careers.
Given the Razorbacks only forced a total of nine interceptions in 2025, there has to be optimism for improvement in that department this fall. With the addition of Jahiem Johnson, Christian Harrison, La'Khi Roland and Shelton Lewis, Arkansas has a chance for a quick turnaround after being among the worst units in the country in 2025.
That much turnover in the secondary naturally creates chemistry questions, but it also gives Arkansas more speed, athleticism and scheme versatility than it had last season.
Against a Vanderbilt offense breaking in a new quarterback, the Razorbacks do not need to be dominant to pull out a victory.
If Arkansas can be disruptive enough to force Vanderbilt quarterbacks into speeding up their decision making, forcing turnovers and keep them behind the sticks then it could be a promising day in Music City.
Arkansas has history on it’s side when playing at Vanderbilt, but this ain’t your daddy’s Commodores either.
If Silverfield and the Razorbacks slip up at home against Tennessee, he'll have another chance to notch his first signature victory as head coach. The Razorbacks have never lost inside Vanderbilt's FirstBank Stadium, with the last game coming down to the wire in 2011 when Jerry Franklin took a 94-yard fumble return for a touchdown to win 31-28.
A win against the Commodores would come at such a critical juncture of the season, following a 7-week stretch of tought opponents to open the season.
That includes three straight games against the likes of Georgia, at Texas A&M and Tennessee which would frustrate any other first-year coach. And don't forget about the Week Two showdown in Salt Lake City against Utah.
Snagging a win before a bye week certainly helps Arkansas gain momentum going into a key stretch of games against Missouri, at Auburn and South Carolina.
It would also keep Silverfield on track to do something only one other Arkansas coach has done in his first season since 1992, win at least four SEC games.
The only other coach to do so was Houston Nutt, who led the Razorbacks to a 6-2 mark in 1998.
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Jacob Davis is the Publisher for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering college athletics. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year.
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