Vanderbilt Football Initial Injury Report Ahead of Trip to Auburn – Sports Illustrated

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Vanderbilt football kicks off conference play this weekend, hoping to extend its undefeated start to 4-0.
It has not been the prettiest or most desirable start to the 2026 season, but the Commodores are still unbeaten no less. But with the start of conference play comes player availability reports every Wednesday night, releasing the initial injury report before Saturday’s games.
On the availability report for this weekend, Vanderbilt will be missing a few guys that it had already known it would be missing before Wednesday night. Cornerback Jaylin Lackey, linebacker Jamison Curtis, defensive lineman Aaron Bryant and defensive lineman Nikhil Jefferson are all listed as “Out” for the Commodores’ matchup against Auburn.
It is not a surprise those guys are out for the game Saturday. Per Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, Lackey and Curtis both have been dealing with soft tissue injury and are “week-to-week” while Lea announced a week ago that Bryant will be out for the season with an ACL injury that he sustained.
Elsewhere on the Vanderbilt injury report is a promising return of one of Vanderbilt’s biggest pieces of its offense. Tight end Cole Spence is listed as “Questionable” for the Auburn weekend. Spence has missed each of the first three games in a season where he was primed to take over as the primary tight end, filling the hole that former Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers left.
Lea has been vocally positive about the progress Spence has made trying to get back to the field.
"Super excited," Lea said in his weekly Tuesday press conference. "The injury he suffered, nine out of 10 people are gonna be out for the season. But, here's a guy who has done everything the right way. We say sleep, hydration and consumption. This guy takes care of his body, and his body takes care of him." 
Whenever Spence does return, he will provide a big boost to Vanderbilt’s offense as he will help the Commodores reach their full potential offensively.
Vanderbilt EDGE Brian Allen Jr. is on the player availability report listed as “Probable.” Allen Jr. has made an impact for Vanderbilt’s defensive line this season after transferring over from Iowa in the offseason. Allen Jr. has been the No. 2 guy in his position room and will be needed to help Vanderbilt in the trenches during conference play.
Vanderbilt’s initial injury report for its matchup against Auburn. https://t.co/KPjj1zuGAT pic.twitter.com/HpZI83oxgs
Vanderbilt and Auburn are scheduled to kickoff at 3:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network Saturday.
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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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