SEC Summer School: Vanderbilt Commodores – On3

KSR Around the SEC
Big Blue Nation has been locked in for every move Will Stein has made during the Kentucky football offseason. But what about the rest of the SEC? Kentucky plays a Top 10 schedule in college football. The logos are daunting, but what’s really going on with each program? Take a step into KSR’s SEC Summer School to learn more about the Wildcats’ 2026 opponents. One of the biggest Wild Cards on the schedule is Vanderbilt, who must learn how to live without Diego Pavia.
SEC Summer School: Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Alabama
Returning Production: No. 106 (44%)
SP+ Ranking: No. 31
ESPN Post-Spring Top 25: N/A
On3 SEC Power Rankings: No. 12
Diego Pavia gave Vanderbilt its first win over a No. 1 team and its first 10-win season, just narrowly missing the CFP. Where do you go from there? Newton taught us that what goes up must come down, and that’s what Clark Lea is fighting against this fall.
Vanderbilt retained the other two-thirds of their offensive powertrain, assistants Jerry Kill and play-caller Tim Beck. Instead of turning to the portal to find a passer, they invested in a nearby high school talent. Jared Curtis was the top-ranked quarterback in America. They got the Nashville native into a Nate Bargatze movie as part of the deal to flip him from Georgia, making Curtis the top-ranked player to ever commit to the Commodores.
What made Diego Pavia so special was his ability to extend the play with his legs. Well, Curtis has some wheels too. In addition to 9,500 passing yards, he also rushed for more than 2,100 in high school.
Pavia’s innate feel was unlike any of his predecessors. One cannot expect to see that from Curtis this fall. So what will we see? Starting a true freshman at QB in the SEC, no matter how talented they are, is not for the faint of heart. Vanderbilt must endure plenty of early growing pains as Curtis finds his footing.
Pavia wasn’t the only big-name departure. Deep-threat wide receiver Tre Richardson transferred to Louisville, and All-American tight end Eli Stowers was taken in the second round of the NFL Draft. Even so, Curtis has some experienced, proven players to work with.
Tight end Cole Spence should be ready to emerge from Stowers’ shadow. Running back Sedrick Alexander ranked fifth in the SEC last year with 11 rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Junior Sherrill returns after catching 54 passes for 784 yards and seven scores. They also added a couple of impact transfers to the wide receiver room, Cole Adams (Alabama) and Ja’Cory Thomas (Old Dominion).
Diego Pavia isn’t the only reason most of the conversation surrounding Vanderbilt is about the offense. Their defense stinks.
Clark Lea cut his teeth as a defensive coordinator, but last year, they had the worst pass defense in the SEC. Outside of stopping the run, Vanderbilt didn’t do anything particularly well, just enough to hold on for wins. They’ll have to do much more than that this fall. The good news is they didn’t lose a ton of their key players, and added Iowa EDGE Brian Allen. The Vanderbilt defense will kick off the season ranked No. 56 in SP+.
There is some good news for Vanderbilt. They appear to get a nice reprieve in the schedule. According to ESPN FPI, Georgia is the only SEC team with a weaker schedule. The Dawgs are the toughest team on the Commodores’ slate.
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