Cole Spence To Miss Vanderbilt Football Opener Against Austin Peay Due To Injury

Vanderbilt football tight end Cole Spence will miss Saturday's opener against Austin Peay due to an injury that he suffered early in the week, Vandy on SI has learned.

Oct 4, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Vanderbilt tight end Cole Spence (16) runs for a first down after making a catch against Alabama at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama downed Vanderbilt 30-14. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt tight end Cole Spence will miss Saturday’s opener against Austin Peay due to injury, Vandy on SI has learned after he was spotted in street clothes pregame to Vanderbilt's game Saturday. 

Spence’s injury popped up early in the week, leading Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea to label Spence as questionable in his Thursday press conference. Private consensus indicated that the questionable label surrounding Spence was generous, though, and that he was likely to miss Saturday’s game. 

“It’s a situation where I don’t want him to push,” Lea said Thursday. “I’ve got hope for him in the short term, but it’s not something that we’re going to take a lot of risks with.” 

Spence is Vanderbilt's projected starter at tight end and is in line to receive a significant increase in targets as a result of Eli Stowers' departure from the program. Spence finished the 2025 season with 15 receptions, two touchdowns and 233 yards, all of which were career highs. In 2025, Spence started 10 games and played in all 13. His departure will leave a significant hole in Vanderbilt's downfield passing game.

When Spence returns, he will be Vanderbilt’s starting tight end and a safety blanket of sorts for Vanderbilt quarterbacks Blaze Berlowitz and Jared Curtis–both of which are inexperienced and are working to slow the game down for themselves. It’s plausible that Spence won’t return until Vanderbilt is done with its slate of non-power five games, though. As a result, things will be more difficult for each quarterback in the downfield passing game. Spence is also revered for his ability as a blocker. 

Spence is a fifth-year senior that has a season of eligibility remaining following the 2026 season.

He’s been the victim of poor injury luck before. He was breaking out after his freshman season before a torn ACL held him out in 2023. Spence has also been the victim of a number of minor injuries since arriving at Vanderbilt in 2022.

Vanderbilt will turn to East Carolina transfer Jayvontay Conner, who it brought in to complement Spence, as its primary receiving tight end. Conner went for 23 receptions, 333 yards and three touchdowns in 2025 before entering the portal. The challenge for Conner has been finding consistency throughout the spring and summer, but tight ends coach Brendan Flaherty says he's among the most well conditioned players on Vanderbilt's roster.

The Commodores are still 28.5-point favorites against Austin Peay without Spence.

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