Vanderbilt’s new-look roster has plenty of questions after a program-best 10-3 season, but one thing Clark Lea clearly values is experience. That shows up in the numbers: the Commodores have the 34th most experienced offense in the country, the No. 4 defense in the country, the No. 2 ranking in game experience and No. 12 in returning starts.
Lea made his confidence in the group plain when he told Vandy on SI, “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.”
That confidence matters because Vanderbilt is moving on without star quarterback Diego Pavia and star tight end Eli Stowers. The top end of the roster may not look the same, but Lea believes the Commodores can keep winning because of how many proven pieces are back across the board.
That idea runs through Vandy on SI’s top 20 player rankings, which include contributors from all three phases and every offensive and defensive position group. At No. 10, the spotlight falls on a player who may not grab headlines, but gives Vanderbilt exactly what it needs up front.
Center Cooper is as solid a replacement as the Commodores could have found for Jordan White. On a younger offensive line, he brings the kind of steady presence that can calm everything down.
Cooper arrived with a strong résumé. He was ranked the No. 30 interior offensive line prospect in the transfer portal by 247Sports’ composite ranking, started 25 games for Pitt over the last two seasons and earned a spot on the Remington Award watch list.
He’s the sort of veteran who tends to fade into the background during a game, and that’s usually a good sign for an offensive lineman. He may not be elite, but he’s a known commodity at this level, and Vanderbilt has plenty of value in that.
With the Commodores counting on growth in a number of other spots, Cooper doesn’t need to make a dramatic leap. He just needs to be dependable.
And that’s exactly the role Vanderbilt is asking him to fill: show up, hold his own and keep the line steady every time the Commodores take the field.
In Other News...
Why Bryan Longwell Still Carries Vanderbilt's Biggest Chip On His Shoulder
Bryan Longwells path to Vanderbilt has always been shaped by the same thing that still defines his profile now: people looking past him. The linebacker was overlooked by power-five programs because of his size, but he has answered with production and consistency, leading Vanderbilt in tackles while ranking among the top returning linebackers in several defensive categories. Even so, the broader recognition has not really followed, which is part of what makes his story linger around the Commodores.
Vanderbilt has leaned into that same underdog edge, turning Misfit into more than a label and into a rallying identity for a roster that knows what it means to be doubted. Longwell has become the face of that mindset, a player whose rsum says he belongs among the leagues best even if the honors have not caught up yet. For Vanderbilt, the appeal is obvious: the chip on his shoulder is personal, but it also fits the programs self-image almost perfectly. [Read more 🡒]