Vanderbilt Football's Top 20 Players Rankings: Honorable Mentions – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football is in a new era under head coach Clark Lea as it moves forward after a program-best 10-3 season, but does so while replacing star quarterback Diego Pavia and star tight end Eli Stowers.
Lea and company believe that the program can move forward as winners, though, and the amount of experience they bring back is at the forefront of the reasons why. 
Lea has the 34th most experienced offense in the country, the No. 4 defense in the country, is No. 2 in game experience in the country and No. 12 in returning starts. 
“Just in terms of quality depth, I mean, this is probably the best team we've had,” Lea told Vandy on SI. “Obviously, we have some big gaps to fill, and some of those gaps were our production leaders from a year ago, but I like this team. 
I like where we are.” 
This Vanderbilt team doesn’t appear to have the elite names at the top of the roster that Lea’s 2025 team did, but he believes he’s got a capable group at every level. 
In Vandy on SI’s top 20 players list, all three phases will be represented, as well as every offensive and defensive position group. 
Here’s the honorable mentions that nearly made the list: 
Glenn Seabrooks
Seabrooks is the biggest snub on the list and has an argument to be considered above other returning players, but in this case he’s the victim of Vanderbilt having a deeper roster than it’s had previously. 
It’s not as if Seabrooks is a star, but he was No. 21 on Vanderbilt’s defense in overall PFF grade a season ago and has been a fixure in the middle of the defensive line throughout its rise. Seabrooks accounted for nine tackles in 2026. 
It’s not as if Seabrooks is flashy, but Vanderbilt would notice if he had a prolonged absence. 
Cole Adams
After filling various roles in his time at Alabama, Adams finally has a clear path to starting for the entirety of a season. He’s ready to take advantage of it. 
“I just felt like someone needed to give me an opportunity to show the world what I can do,” Adams told Vandy on SI, “And I think Vanderbilt was that place.” 
The graduate transfer receiver caught 13 balls and went for 176 yards in three seasons at Alabama while never eclipsing 100 yards on a season. Now, he’ll likely eclipse those numbers in the first few weeks of the 2026 season. 
Dontae Carter
Carter is as highly touted a recruit as Vanderbilt landed under Lea until its breakthrough in 2024 and he’s flashed his high ceiling in a number of practices over the years. 
The themes of Carter’s career thus far have been waiting his turn and working to improve the little things. Perhaps 2026 is when it all comes together for him, though. 
“I think a guy like Donte Carter, who missed the spring, took the time to become a student of the game and really focus on what he needed to learn,” Lea told Vandy on SI, “To slow the game down, but his physical skills here early in the summer stand out.”
Blaze Berlowitz
With Berlowitz it’s not a question of arm talent or ceiling as much as it’s a question of whether he can be counted on to not lose Vanderbilt a football game if he’s on the field. 
Berlowitz has clearly improved, though, and has a chance to win Vanderbilt’s starting quarterback job. Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis is the betting favorite, but Berlowitz has experience on his side. 
He’s clearly talented enough to be an SEC starter, but whether he’ll be able to manage the game at a high enough level to be dependable is the question that surrounds him.
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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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