Answering Burning Questions About Vanderbilt Football: Record Prediction, Punting, Clark Lea Loves Vandy on SI? – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football's open fall practice sessions have come to a conclusion and its quarterback competition looms. So, what should be made of where the program stands these days?
Vandy on SI enlisted a request for questions from Vanderbilt fans in regard to where Vanderbilt stands less than two weeks out from its season opener against Austin Peay.
Here's what we think of the most burning questions surrounding the program.
What vibes are you sensing now from Vandy football?
Vanderbilt's messaging all offseason is that it believes it can win a national championship if all goes right for it, and it hasn't backed down from that declaration yet. There's been little to no mention of this Vanderbilt's team's potential deficiencies publicly, only mention of what it's capable of.
There is some sense privatley that Vanderbilt is building for something bigger than 2026 and is trying to build the foundation for later in the Jared Curtis era, but don't tell Clark Lea that–privatley or publicly. Lea hasn't shown any signs of not believing that Vanderbilt can be as good as it's been at any point in his tenure.
Lea is likely encouraged coming out of fall camp because he saw a 15-day stretch where his program was consistently engaged and didn't appear to be skipping many steps. The program's focus and culture has clearly come a long way, the question is if it has a polished enough roster to compete for a playoff berth in 2026.
What's indisputable privately and publicly is that Vanderbilt believes it's got a defense that can be the best of the Lea tenure. There's going to be growing pains offensively, but Vanderbilt believes it's underrated once again. It won't align with the response to the next question.
Need the Joey D official record prediction
Way to spoil an article saved for later this week, Dores!
All jokes aside, I've got Vanderbilt going 6-6 in 2026.
Vanderbilt's defense is good enough to keep it in most games, but the question is how reliable its offense will be with a first-time starter and a brand new offensive line. The schedule looks more manageable in 2026 than it did in 2025, but that Vanderbilt team had such an unbelievable belief late in close games, some of the best quarterback play in the country and was the healthiest team in the SEC.
This one will be good, but will probably lose a game or two that it's supposed to win and can't possibly stay as healthy as Vanderbilt did a year ago. 6-6 wouldn't be a poor outcome, though, because of what winning six games would say about its young core.
Tackling in space was a clear problem area for Vandy's defense down the stretch last year and showed up in the bowl game vs. Iowa. What have they done to address that weakness this offseason?
Good point, although we've heard more about the emphasis on getting off the field on third down than we have about an emphasis on open-field tackling.
Best believe watching that Iowa tape back set Lea off, though, and that he took note of the tackling issues. Vanderbilt has likely placed a premium on tackling in every live period of every practice throughout camp and won't tolerate a lot of misses in the open field in 2026.
The practical solution here is Vanderbilt's depth at linebacker, safety and corner will prevent it from wearing down in the final month of the season. Other than that, all it can do is focus on technical coaching points and make the plays when they matter.
Are either Thomas or Sherrill good fantasy options with how much is up in the air/unproven at the QB spot?
Sherrill will be a nice value pick. The nuanced take in regard to a No. 1 wide receiver and a first-time starting quarterback actually lends itself to some positivity for the receiver's volume. Jared Curtis or Blaze Berlowitz will be looking for a safety blanket and reliable target as the game slows down for them, and Sherrill is as reliable as Vanderbilt has.
The question that surrounds Sherrill at this stage is whether he's merely a really good receiver that will have a nice legacy around West End, or whether he'll take a step into stardom and truly elite play. Sherrill doesn't have any doubt about that.
“I want to be the most dynamic person with the ball in my hands in the country,” Sherrill told Vandy on SI this summer. “I feel like I’m gonna be an all-conference player this year.” 
Thomas projects to be one of the most underrated receivers in the league, although his production may not be all that impressive if Vanderbilt goes with a run-heavy offense. The perception around him has been poor since the spring, but he was much better in the fall once he got over a hamstring injury.
There's been very little chatter about punting this off-season, which as a punter afficionado I find disturbing. How are the punters looking?
Should've noted this more in the practice reports, but Vanderbilt does like what it has in Tyler Ebel–who will be its starting punter. Ebel is big-bodied and powerful, but probably isn't quite the magician that Matt Hayball was.
Vanderbilt has had some excellent punters following Hayball in Jesse Mirco and Nick Haberer, which gives Ebel a high bar to live up to. Ebel won't be bad, but there's enough of a practice sample to question whether he'll be quite as good as those two were.
Did Jamezell get a scholarship to go with his new number?
There's been no official announcement in regard to Lassiter's status, but Vanderbilt quietly moved cornerback Mustafa Dannett past walk-on status and Lassiter certainly deserves the same treatment if he hasn't already gotten it.
Lassiter is Vanderbilt's second-fastest player, projects to be its third highest-usage back and was by far its most impactful walk-on a year ago. He's not a walk-on in anyone's heart, at least.
pic.twitter.com/BVwNc2Y0g1
Ummm…sure!
Did you blush when Clark Lea said he loves you?
Great question. Not quite, but that was a very nice way of letting us know that he didn't plan to say who the starting quarterback is on Saturday!
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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