Vanderbilt’s tight end room may have taken a hit just before the opener.
Coach Clark Lea said Thursday that Cole Spence is questionable for Vanderbilt football’s game against Austin Peay, and the expectation is that he could be sidelined for a significant stretch. Lea made clear the staff is not interested in forcing the issue.
"It's a situation where I don't want him to push," Lea said. "I've got hope for him short term, but it's not something that we're gonna take a lot of risks with."
That’s a tough break for a player who was set up for a much bigger role. Spence was projected as Vanderbilt’s starter at tight end and was in line for a sizable bump in targets after Eli Stowers left the program.
In 2025, Spence posted career bests across the board with 15 catches, 233 yards and two touchdowns. He started 10 games and appeared in all 13.
Vanderbilt had been counting on that production to help fill a noticeable gap in the passing game. Spence’s absence would leave a significant hole in the offense’s downfield options.
Spence also talked this summer about the chance to do more as a receiver after spending recent seasons leaning into his blocking work.
"When you talk about playing tight end, there are two facets to the game: the blocking and the receiving. In the past couple years, the team has needed me to lean more into my blocking ability because we had such a talented guy in Eli," Spence told Vandy on SI in the summer. "I'm really excited to be able to just step into that other part of the game, because keep in mind I was a receiver first, so that was my bread and butter.”
The injury surfaced early in the week, and Vanderbilt has been monitoring it closely ever since. Doctor consultations led the program to the conclusion Lea described ahead of the opener.
Spence, a fifth-year senior, still has one season of eligibility remaining after the 2026 season. He has dealt with injury setbacks before, including a torn ACL that ended a breakout run after his freshman season and kept him out in 2023. He has also fought through several minor injuries since arriving at Vanderbilt in 2022.
With Spence uncertain, Vanderbilt is expected to lean on East Carolina transfer Jayvontay Conner as its primary receiving tight end. Conner was brought in to pair with Spence and put together 23 receptions, 333 yards and three touchdowns in 2025 before entering the portal. Consistency has been the main issue for him through spring and summer work, though tight ends coach Brendan Flaherty has said Conner is one of the best-conditioned players on the roster.
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