Vanderbilt Football 2026 Position Preview: Tight Ends
by PatrickSawyer
Aug 7, 2026, 11:00 PM UTC
The second most difficult to fill hole on this roster from 2025 is at Tight End. Eli Stowers went in the second round of the NFL draft as the 54th overall pick. He won the John Mackey Award as the country’s top TE and was named First Team All-American by nearly every major outlet, including the AP, USA Today, CBS Sports, the Footwall Writers Association of America, and the American Football Coaches Association. Stowers caught 62 passes for 769 yards in 2025 to follow up a 49-reception and 638-yard 2024 season. Quite simply, when Vanderbilt needed a big play through the air, Eli Stowers was generally option 1 and 2, if not 3, for Diego Pavia to find. He was 3rd on the team in receiving yards (37 off 1st) but led the team in receptions by 8.
Vanderbilt was busy in the transfer portal with 3 acquisitions. None of them were big splashes who can come close to replicating what Stowers brought to the offense. There is one key returner, and Brycen Coleman will likely cover some of the receiving responsibilities Stowers had from split out positions. It will make the offense slightly easier to personnel match.
Cole Spence stands out everywhere he goes at 6’7”. He had a knack for slipping free in critical situations as attention shifted to the higher profile options of Stowers, Sherrill, and Richardson. He was 5th on the team in receiving yards at 233 from only 15 receptions. LHis 15.5 yards per reception was 2nd on the team for players with more than 3 catches on the season. Only Tre Richardson’s 17.5 yard average was better. Coleman with 3 for 67 and Dominic Rezac with 1 for 35 topped him if you open it to every play.
It will be interesting to see how Spence’s role shapes up as he was the primary backup to Stowers. He was typically the man attached to the line while Stowers would play in-line or flexed into the slot. Spence has good athleticism for his size and would be a nightmare for slot corner’s to try to cover at his height. He more than doubled his yardage in 2024 (101) but only caught 5 more passes. Optimistically, that statistic says he got more explosive as he got into a better place physically after missing 2023 with an ACL tear, but it could also be read that he was mainly a beneficiary of an explosive offense pulling defensive attention away from him, which is much less likely as TE1.
My expectation would be for Spence to approximately double his yardage again to the 500-yard range. The efficiency will go down as he becomes a more primary option and gets into the 40s in receptions. Spence’s best game was the win over then-#10 LSU when he had 5 catches for 56 yards. He led the team in both categories that day.
Jayvontay Conner (ECU) and Maurice Veney (Morehouse College) are both taking a huge step forward in competition as they come to Vanderbilt. Walter Taylor III returns to West End with a new position. Conner is by far the most highly touted. He was ranked as a Top 10 TE in the transfer class. He most fits the body type of Stowers with identical listed height and weight, but he likely is not going to match the NFL Combine-record setting explosiveness of Stowers.
Taylor was 90th by 247 and 132nd by On3 while Veney was essentially inverted at 120 (247) and 90 (On3). Veney is a big unit at 6’4” and 270 pounds. Taylor is very tall but more slight at 6’7” and 235 pounds.
Conner broke out in 2025 after only 1 catch each season in 2023 and 2024 with a total of 9 yards gained. He snagged 23 passes for 333 yards in 2025. Veney had similar numbers at NCAA D-II Morehouse College with 32 catches for 381 yards. Taylor has not recorded a statistic since he left Vanderbilt with stops at Colorado (2024) and Ball State (2025).
Conner impressed at times during spring ball, including a soundbite moment where he caught a TD pass and declared, “Waffle House!” then later clarified it is because he is “open 24/7, man.” Veney is likely more of a blocker who can make the occasional catch, especially as he slips away on play action. Taylor’s height and athleticism, which made him a threat as a runner at QB previously, are very intriguing, but Taylor only has 1 year of eligibility with the position change.
Tilden Riley and Adam Gehm were sought after recruits that both chose to come to West End. Riley was rated one spot higher at #48 by 247’s Composite (#14 by 247’s internal rankings) than Gehm at #49 (#70 internal). Rivals industry formula was more friendly to Riley at #33 with Gehm at #52, but Rivals itself has Gehm at #31 while Riley was down at #66.
The problem is always projectability. Riley is 6’5” and 217 pounds. Gehm is 6’6” and 235 pounds. Tight Ends often need to add significant weight to handle the position in college. For example, Spence was 6’6” and 220 pounds out of high school, so he has tacked on 35 pounds. They will face LBs and DBs who can combine athleticism, skill, and intelligence to overcome the height problem these tall TEs present that most high school defenders cannot.
I have not heard anything significant about either of them, and they likely will only have special teams roles behind Spence and Conner. Gehm may have some role as an extra blocker, but 235 is still fairly light.
Palmer Riley (no relation to Tilden) is an intriguing freshman. He was ranked as the #123 EDGE by 247’s composite. I cannot find a rating from Rivals/On3, and ESPN did not rate him. He is listed at 6’5” and 250 pounds, so combine that with the recruiting profile and get a player almost certainly destined for work in heavy packages and special teams.
Elijah Rooney is a 6’5” and 230 pound converted high school QB. He did not play at all as a freshman then made a debut against Georgia State but has not recorded any stats.
Cole Spence is a unique body that can be trouble for opponents, and Jayvontay Conner should be a useful option. Veney will be a powerful blocker who can make a catch or three each game for useful, likely short yardage.
Stowers just had athleticism that no one can match. He broke the NFL Combine broad jump and vertical jump records. He also ran in the 96th percentile for Combine TEs at 4.51s in the 40-yard dash. He was a freak.
At least here, the depth is the question. Tight End is generally not a position where you need much except blocking from options 3 to 5. If they can get anything through the air out of Walter Taylor or one of the freshmen, that will be a big boost.
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by PatrickSawyer
Aug 7, 2026, 11:00 PM UTC
The second most difficult to fill hole on this roster from 2025 is at Tight End. Eli Stowers went in the second round of the NFL draft as the 54th overall pick. He won the John Mackey Award as the country’s top TE and was named First Team All-American by nearly every major outlet, including the AP, USA Today, CBS Sports, the Footwall Writers Association of America, and the American Football Coaches Association. Stowers caught 62 passes for 769 yards in 2025 to follow up a 49-reception and 638-yard 2024 season. Quite simply, when Vanderbilt needed a big play through the air, Eli Stowers was generally option 1 and 2, if not 3, for Diego Pavia to find. He was 3rd on the team in receiving yards (37 off 1st) but led the team in receptions by 8.
Vanderbilt was busy in the transfer portal with 3 acquisitions. None of them were big splashes who can come close to replicating what Stowers brought to the offense. There is one key returner, and Brycen Coleman will likely cover some of the receiving responsibilities Stowers had from split out positions. It will make the offense slightly easier to personnel match.
The Post Player
Cole Spence stands out everywhere he goes at 6’7”. He had a knack for slipping free in critical situations as attention shifted to the higher profile options of Stowers, Sherrill, and Richardson. He was 5th on the team in receiving yards at 233 from only 15 receptions. LHis 15.5 yards per reception was 2nd on the team for players with more than 3 catches on the season. Only Tre Richardson’s 17.5 yard average was better. Coleman with 3 for 67 and Dominic Rezac with 1 for 35 topped him if you open it to every play.
It will be interesting to see how Spence’s role shapes up as he was the primary backup to Stowers. He was typically the man attached to the line while Stowers would play in-line or flexed into the slot. Spence has good athleticism for his size and would be a nightmare for slot corner’s to try to cover at his height. He more than doubled his yardage in 2024 (101) but only caught 5 more passes. Optimistically, that statistic says he got more explosive as he got into a better place physically after missing 2023 with an ACL tear, but it could also be read that he was mainly a beneficiary of an explosive offense pulling defensive attention away from him, which is much less likely as TE1.
My expectation would be for Spence to approximately double his yardage again to the 500-yard range. The efficiency will go down as he becomes a more primary option and gets into the 40s in receptions. Spence’s best game was the win over then-#10 LSU when he had 5 catches for 56 yards. He led the team in both categories that day.
The Transfer Trio
Jayvontay Conner (ECU) and Maurice Veney (Morehouse College) are both taking a huge step forward in competition as they come to Vanderbilt. Walter Taylor III returns to West End with a new position. Conner is by far the most highly touted. He was ranked as a Top 10 TE in the transfer class. He most fits the body type of Stowers with identical listed height and weight, but he likely is not going to match the NFL Combine-record setting explosiveness of Stowers.
Taylor was 90th by 247 and 132nd by On3 while Veney was essentially inverted at 120 (247) and 90 (On3). Veney is a big unit at 6’4” and 270 pounds. Taylor is very tall but more slight at 6’7” and 235 pounds.
Conner broke out in 2025 after only 1 catch each season in 2023 and 2024 with a total of 9 yards gained. He snagged 23 passes for 333 yards in 2025. Veney had similar numbers at NCAA D-II Morehouse College with 32 catches for 381 yards. Taylor has not recorded a statistic since he left Vanderbilt with stops at Colorado (2024) and Ball State (2025).
Conner impressed at times during spring ball, including a soundbite moment where he caught a TD pass and declared, “Waffle House!” then later clarified it is because he is “open 24/7, man.” Veney is likely more of a blocker who can make the occasional catch, especially as he slips away on play action. Taylor’s height and athleticism, which made him a threat as a runner at QB previously, are very intriguing, but Taylor only has 1 year of eligibility with the position change.
Next Generation
Tilden Riley and Adam Gehm were sought after recruits that both chose to come to West End. Riley was rated one spot higher at #48 by 247’s Composite (#14 by 247’s internal rankings) than Gehm at #49 (#70 internal). Rivals industry formula was more friendly to Riley at #33 with Gehm at #52, but Rivals itself has Gehm at #31 while Riley was down at #66.
The problem is always projectability. Riley is 6’5” and 217 pounds. Gehm is 6’6” and 235 pounds. Tight Ends often need to add significant weight to handle the position in college. For example, Spence was 6’6” and 220 pounds out of high school, so he has tacked on 35 pounds. They will face LBs and DBs who can combine athleticism, skill, and intelligence to overcome the height problem these tall TEs present that most high school defenders cannot.
I have not heard anything significant about either of them, and they likely will only have special teams roles behind Spence and Conner. Gehm may have some role as an extra blocker, but 235 is still fairly light.
Blocking and Special Teams
Palmer Riley (no relation to Tilden) is an intriguing freshman. He was ranked as the #123 EDGE by 247’s composite. I cannot find a rating from Rivals/On3, and ESPN did not rate him. He is listed at 6’5” and 250 pounds, so combine that with the recruiting profile and get a player almost certainly destined for work in heavy packages and special teams.
Elijah Rooney is a 6’5” and 230 pound converted high school QB. He did not play at all as a freshman then made a debut against Georgia State but has not recorded any stats.
The Final Verdict
Cole Spence is a unique body that can be trouble for opponents, and Jayvontay Conner should be a useful option. Veney will be a powerful blocker who can make a catch or three each game for useful, likely short yardage.
Stowers just had athleticism that no one can match. He broke the NFL Combine broad jump and vertical jump records. He also ran in the 96th percentile for Combine TEs at 4.51s in the 40-yard dash. He was a freak.
At least here, the depth is the question. Tight End is generally not a position where you need much except blocking from options 3 to 5. If they can get anything through the air out of Walter Taylor or one of the freshmen, that will be a big boost.
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Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ D.C.) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT) or visit FanDuel.com/RG.
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