Vanderbilt football completed its annual spring game for 2026 on April 18 at FirstBank Stadium.
While many of the Commodores‘ projected starters sat out the game to avoid injury, five-star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis got action, as did senior quarterback Blaze Berlowitz. Coach Clark Lea said he would not name a starter during the spring.
Here’s what we learned:
Curtis showed the ups and downs of a freshman quarterback in the spring game. No official stats were kept, but according to those kept by The Tennessean, he was 5-for-13 for 88 yards. He did not have a passing touchdown, though he handed off for a rushing touchdown and another of his drives ended in a field goal.
Curtis showed off his prodigious arm strength attempting a deep shot in the first quarter, but overthrew his receiver. He did show the ability to scramble out of contact and throw on the run, though he was in a non-contact jersey, limiting the ability to fully evaluate him as a runner.
“You see physical elements of his game that are unique to him as a human being,” Lea said. “His potential for explosive plays, the way he can evade rush, the way he can find receivers down the field, the look that his ball has coming out of his hand . . .
“Time is going to give him the opportunity to grow into the system, into the structure, because that position needs to be able to line up the other 10 and get them pointed in the same direction. Little things like how he calls the plays in the huddle, his voice and command and cadence. Those are the things we’re going to be focused on.”
Blaze Berlowitz was 4-for-10 for 77 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Whit Muschamp was 7-for-9 for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Jack Elliott was 6-for-11 for 89 yards.
Vanderbilt returns Junior Sherrill but will have to replace its other two starting receivers: Richie Hoskins and Tre Richardson. Sherrill sat out the spring game in order to manage his load, but he is a proven producer at the college level.
In his stead, Old Dominion transfer Ja’Cory Thomas turned heads. On one play, he spun out of a tackle for a touchdown on a throw from Muschamp.
“I’m on the big side of receivers, so a lot of people don’t think I can run routes,” said Thomas, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. “I think I’m a true route runner . . . I can get physical, but I can be finesse, too.”
Like Sherrill, Cole Spence also sat out the spring game to avoid injury. That gave the other tight ends chances to display what they could do.
They will need to help replace Eli Stowers, who is expected to be selected in the upcoming NFL draft.
One of those tight ends is Walter Taylor, who formerly played quarterback at Vanderbilt in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Colorado and then Ball State. He has since transferred back to Vanderbilt and moved to tight end.
Taylor caught a pass from Curtis for a first down at one point in the scrimmage.
“For me, it’s about knowing what I’m trying to get accomplished,” Taylor said. “I’m trying to stop a guy from going this way, I have to cut them off instead of trying to hit them as hard as I can, just getting my body aligned and having my feet in the ground.”
Vanderbilt also brought in transfers Jayvontay Conner and Maurice Veney, who could help, though Veney missed most of the spring with a soft tissue injury.
The loss of Stowers may force some tweaks to the scheme. Lea suggested that where Vanderbilt frequently used formations with two or three tight ends in 2025, it may more frequently use formations with multiple running backs instead.
Running back is one of the strengths of this team with Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young, though those returners did not play in the spring game.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
