Day 3 of Vanderbilt’s fall camp put the receiver room front and center, and coach Alex Bailey made it clear the Commodores have plenty of speed to work with even after losing Eli Stowers and Tre Richardson.
Those departures leave Vanderbilt trying to replace two major pieces: Stowers, who Bailey described as the country’s best tight end, and Richardson, the team’s best deep threat. Bailey pointed to a handful of players who can help fill that gap, starting with Kayleb Barnett.
“First thing I think about when I think of speed, I think is Kayleb Barnett. You know, he's he's our fastest guy.
He's super explosive. Obviously people who have been watching us got an opportunity to see him last year.
So, he's kind of that guy that gives us that spark that way.
" Junior (Sherrill's) s another explosive player that we have. And another guy that kind of just pops to my head is uh Ja'Kobi (Thomas) You know, obviously he's a bigger type receiver.
He's, you know, over 215 pounds, but he's quick, he's sudden, gives you that downfield speed, he plays hard. And there's some other guys I can throw in there.
Kahden Smith, I mean, he plays extremely hard. His game speed is there.
I mean, he's on the field, he's going 100% every single time. So, I feel like we got a lot of guys that can run in our room.
So, I'm pleased with that."
Barnett has looked like the fastest player on the field in camp, and Sherrill enters the season as Vanderbilt’s leading returning receiver. Sherrill has already shown he can hit big plays, with catches of 43, 46 and 52 yards in his career.
Thomas, meanwhile, brings proven production from Old Dominion, where his 17.5-yard-per-catch average matched Richardson’s mark from last season. Smith, a true freshman, surfaced late in spring practice and has the kind of ability that could make him a contributor down the line.
Bailey also brought up Brycen Coleman when asked again about where the downfield juice will come from. Coleman moved from tight end to receiver in the spring and looked good enough to factor into the rotation.
"Brycen Coleman has great vertical speed. I mean, he can get up on your pitch before he can run," Bailey said.
Coleman already has a 54-yard touchdown catch against Virginia Tech on his résumé.
Tristen Brown is another name Vanderbilt needs more from, and the junior says he finally feels like himself again. Brown caught 10 passes for 137 yards last season, including a season-high three receptions in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Iowa, but he said he never got all the way back to full strength.
"(I) had stress fractures going on in my shins," Brown said on Wednesday. "So I was just trying to battle through that and come back health for the team," adding later he battled them all season.
Bailey believes there’s more in Brown’s game, too.
"In the last couple years, he kind of was behind some guys," Brown said, "I mean, now I mean, he's earned the right to be out there on the field. He does a ton for us.
He's a smart football player. He has really good ball skills.
He's physical, you know, and he can run routes. He's quick and set.
I mean, we just It's just kind of like one of those things where it's like just give him a chance. He's going to give us opportunities this season.
Vanderbilt has Saturday off, an unusual break during fall camp, before returning to practice Sunday. The Commodores’ practices remain closed to the public but are open to credentialed media.
The first scrimmage of camp is set for a week from Saturday, Aug. 15, and Clark Lea has targeted that date to name a starting quarterback from a five-man battle that includes Jared Curtis and Blaze Berlowitz near the top.
In Other News...
Joseph McVay Is Giving Vanderbilt Fans A Reason To Believe
Joseph McVays offseason has become one of the quieter reasons Vanderbilts offense feels a little more intriguing heading into the season. The wide receiver has drawn praise from receivers coach Alex Bailey for the way he has handled his personal growth, with the focus shifting just as much to his mindset as to what he can do on the field. For a player trying to carve out a bigger role, that kind of progress can matter as much as any practice rep.
McVay has made it clear he wants to approach the game differently and bring a more consistent presence to the Commodores offense. The coaching staff has noticed the maturity, too, especially the way he is taking coaching and learning from mistakes instead of getting stuck on them. If that growth carries over once the games start, Vanderbilt may have found a receiver whose value goes beyond the stat sheet. [Read more 🡒]