Vanderbilt Football Mailbag: Answering Questions Ahead of Commodores’ Game Against Austin Peay – Sports Illustrated

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Vanderbilt football kicks off its 2026 season about 36 hours from now as the Commodores prepare to take the field at FirstBank Stadium for the first time this fall with a game against Austin Peay.
But before the ball is kicked off and before the long Saturday of games begins, Vandy On SI reached out to Vanderbilt fans on social media on where things stand just a couple days before the game.
Without further ado, let’s answer your questions!
Based on what we know about the two quarterbacks in practice thus far and their strengths and weaknesses, what differences in game plan do we expect to see depending on who is on the field?
I really like this question because I do think there will be a little bit of a difference in the plays that are called when Blaze Berlowitz is in the game compared to when Jared Curtis is in the game.
I think the offense will see a good amount of rushing attempts from the running backs regardless of who is in, but I think from a passing game standpoint I would not be surprised if there are more calls that involve throws of 15-yard, 20-yard or more down the field when Curtis is in the game.
As probably a lot of people have read by now or know by now, Curtis’ arm talent is very much real and that element of his game was on display during fall camp. I think Tim Beck will likely start both quarterbacks out with some easy short throws early, but I think plays that push the ball down the field will be called maybe more so with Curtis.
I think with Berlowitz, you’re going to see an offense that moves down the field in longer drives, more methodically. In essence, the game plan likely will not be an air raid-esque offense with Berlowitz in the game. It will be an offense that is certainly going to move the ball against Austin Peay, but not with a ton of deep shots down the field. Berlowitz will probably get his opportunities down the field, but expect most of his throws to be within 10-12 yards downfield.
Remember that Lea is going to look to Blaze to set the table offensively Saturday and get the offense into a synced rhythm. That likely does not mean airing it out deep often.
Not to mention, Lea mentioned Thursday that maybe the play calls each quarterback gets can change depending on who is in the game.
“There are things maybe ways that we adjust the call sheet based on who’s in the game just to elevate the strengths of the players. That’s for Tim [Beck] and his staff to organize and decide,” Lea said.
What are the biggest surprises within the depth chart that surprised you & Joey the most?
The biggest surprise that Joey and I were both taken aback by was Orion Irving starting at strong tackle over Beau Johnson. The reason that surprised us was because we both felt that Johnson was one of the best offensive linemen in fall camp. We both were convinced he was going to start due to how he looked in camp.
Another note on the depth chart I found really interesting was that freshmen Mason Lewis found his way ahead of Jailen Ruth at the STAR position. Not only because Ruth is the oldest guy in the room, but because Lewis is just stepping into Steve Gregory’s defense.
Do not get it twisted, though: Mason Lewis had a really good fall camp. Lewis was making plays pretty often during camp, so I am not surprised that he is seeing what seems like meaningful snaps this weekend. I was a little surprised that the coaching staff put him ahead of Ruth.
Then, at wide receiver Joey and I were both convinced that Ja’Cory Thomas was going to be No. 2 on the depth chart. Instead, the three starters at wide receiver are Junior Sherrill, Brycen Coleman and Tristen Brown.
Joey and I both felt that Thomas had really taken a step up compared to where he was at in the spring. Now, Thomas did have an injury in the spring he pushed through. So now that he is not dealing with that anymore, it felt like Thomas did elevate during fall camp. Maybe the coaching staff likes that Coleman is a little bit bigger and can be a threat down the field compared to Thomas and that was the difference.
Do we expect this to be the baseline depth chart for the season? or similar to the QB question "Just for the Austin Peay game" ?
It depends on the position honestly. Defensively, my depth chart projection turned out to be pretty similar to the official depth chart for this weekend. 
For example, Miles Capers and Brian Allen Jr. will be the starters in their slots going forward. I think the same goes for Martel Hight, Jordan Matthews, CJ Heard, Ricardo Jones, Issa Ouattara and Glenn Seabrooks, Bryan Longwell and Nick Rinaldi at their respective positions. All of those guys I would expect to be the starters at their positions for the season.
The STAR position is an interesting one to think about, but I do think Carson Lawrence will keep his starting spot for now. Clark Lea said Thursday that he may play one of his three guys in his STAR room depending on the situation in the game, but I think Lawrence will be a regular starter for now.
However, I think starting spots can change offensively depending on how things go. As Lea said last week, the starting quarterback is “just for the Austin Peay game.” So, without question the quarterback room can have a starter change.
I’m still not going to give up on Beau Johnson potentially becoming a starter on the offensive line at some point either. Again, with the way he performed in fall camp, he looked like one of the better guys up front and a guy that is deserving of a starting role.
Another thing that can change is potentially the shuffle at wide receiver. Junior Sherrill is WR1 and nobody will take that from him. The question is what happens if Ja’Cory Thomas has a great start to the season. Will he jump closer to the No. 2 receiver spot? I don’t think the wide receiver depth chart is set in stone for the year.
Are you feeling warmly & fuzzy about this year’s Vandy team? If not, what’s your feeling?
I would say I’m about in the middle of that if “warm and fuzzy” means that I think Vanderbilt will replicate the record it had a season ago.
My personal record prediction is Vanderbilt finishing 7-5. Not the record Vanderbilt had last year in the regular season, but I think it will be a regular season where the program can look back and be encouraged going forward.
Obviously the quarterback position is going to continue to be the biggest storyline. How that develops and how efficient the quarterback play is has a lot to do with the outlook of Vanderbilt’s season. I think if the quarterback play meets expectations and the veterans on defense take a step up, then the Commodores should be a bowl team.
Who is VU’s deep threat?
Junior Sherrill can be a threat down the field given that he is the No. 1 receiver and deservedly so. I think a couple others that have an opportunity to be a deep threat are Ja’Cory Thomas and Brycen Coleman.
Thomas is 6-foot-3 and Coleman is 6-foot-5, so both of them have big frames that will have the ability to win 50/50 balls down the field. The coaching staff liked what Coleman did in camp in terms of being a vertical threat and Thomas was another receiver that started to create space down over the middle of the field in camp as well.
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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