Vanderbilt Football Defensive Takeaways After First Day of Fall Camp – Sports Illustrated

In this story:
It is officially camping season in the sport of college football. Vanderbilt football completed the first day of fall camp for the 2026 season Wednesday.
The Commodores are coming off what was a historical 2025 season that featured the program’s first 10-win season in program history. That is in the past now, though. The Commodores are looking to build upon what has transpired over the past couple seasons.
There is a good mix of old and new faces in the new era of Vanderbilt football, including on the defense. The Commodores defense is made up of veterans and younger players who are trying to earn their spots. Here are a few takeaways from Vanderbilt’s defense after the first day of fall camp.
One of the defensive storylines to watch for on Vanderbilt’s defense is how the shuffle of the cornerback room stands out. Martel Hight is the clear leader in the position room, but Matthews is a guy that could emerge as the next man up amongst the cornerbacks.
In Vanderbilt’s first day of camp, Matthews looked to be around the ball often throughout the practice. In pass coverage, Matthews had moments where he looked improved from a season ago as well. It is a long camp, but Matthews did show out more than others in terms of depth guys in his position room.
Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Steve Gregory was complimentary of the work Matthes has put in during the offseason and heading into this year’s camp.
“Jordan Matthews is a guy that came on towards the end of last year and he’s been looking really good this year so far, too. So, we have guys in that room that can play,” Gregory said.
If Matthews is able to continue to look good in practice and has himself a good camp over the next couple of weeks, he may very well find himself a nice role in his room.
It is more so of an expectation that veteran guys on the roster be in the mix in practice and that is exactly was the case for linebacker Bryce Cowan.
Cowan had a good first day of camp, especially in run defense. Cowan oftentimes was in the area of where things were happening and was a notable guy involved in run stoppages in practice.
The linebacker room is a luxury position for Vanderbilt’s defense this season. Vandy On SI’s pre-camp projection has Bryan Longwell and Nick Rinaldi as the two starters and Cowan as the next man up in the room. The depthness of the linebackers is why they could end up being the heart and soul of the Vanderbilt defense this season. Regardless of where Cowan ends up placing on the depth chart, the experience and playmaking ability of Vanderbilt’s linebackers speaks for itself.
Coming out of the first post-practice press conference of camp, there was a lot of confidence in not only the defense’s ability to apply pressure on opposing teams but also confidence in the various ways it can do so.
From guys on the defensive line to the linebackers, Vanderbilt believes it has options when it comes to who can make an impact in the pass rush.
“Honestly Bryan Longwell and Nick Rinaldi are really good pass rushers for us. Bryce Cowan has the ability to rush off the second level. I think Brian Allen is going to be a guy that has an opportunity. Issa [Ouattara] as a big guy inside can sometimes pass rush on some of the mismatches he can create,” Gregory said. “But we’ll continue to evolve that in training camp and see who emerges as we start to do some one-on-one pass rush stuff.”
Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.
Loading recommendations… Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
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.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

source