Exclusive: Why Jayvontay Conner Feels He Can Have Full-Circle Moment With Vanderbilt Football

Vanderbilt football landed a full-circle commitment in its transfer portal class and Jayvontay Conner looks to make that a worthwhile moment for Clark Lea.

Jayvontay Conner projects to be a volume pass catcher for Vanderbilt football in 2026. | Jayvontay Conner

NASHVILLE—Jayvontay Conner still remembers driving from his Alabama home to East Forsyth high school when he got the call. On the other end was Vanderbilt. 

By the time Conner hit North Carolina, the Vanderbilt offensive staff–which at the time was centered around offensive coordinator Joey Lynch and tight end’s coach Justin Lustig–had offered Connor a scholarship. Conner would go on to receive offers from Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, but Vanderbilt was the first to pull the trigger. 

Perhaps the meaning of that offer was nullified when Conner eventually enrolled at Ole Miss as a freshman and Lustig departed for Penn State, but he still remembers it and the impression that it left. 

“I just remember that I had much respect for them,” Conner told Vandy on SI. “I feel like they definitely, even in high school, helped my recruitment.”

Sep 6, 2025; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates tight end Jayvontay Conner (8) is hit after his catch against Campbell Fighting Camels safety Evan Spivey (0) during the second half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | James Guillory-Imagn Images

More has changed than is the same since Conner and Lustig called back in the day. Vanderbilt has renovated its facilities, uprooted its staff and has experienced a football resurgence. Life isn’t all that similar for Conner, either.

The one-time Ole Miss freshman played sparingly as a Rebel and had to leave the SEC spotlight to find himself as a consistent pass catcher. Conner went for 23 receptions, 333 yards and 23 touchdowns in his final season at East Carolina—which he emphasizes he is decidedly grateful for. 

As Conner entered the portal and looked for a new home, he was more of a commodity than he’s ever been. Vanderbilt was, too, as a result of its 10-2 season in 2025 and the development of eventual NFL tight end Eli Stowers—who Conner says he did some similar things schematically to while at East Carolina. 

After a detour down to the group of five level, it appears as if Conner is ready for a consistent pass-catching role in the SEC while Vanderbilt is ready to land players like him. Vanderbilt’s tight end room includes another projected high-volume pass catcher in Cole Spence as well as Morehouse transfer Maurice Veney, talented pass catcher Brycen Coleman and former Vanderbilt quarterback turned tight end Walter Taylor. The last time Conner was in a crowded SEC tight end room, he struggled to climb the depth chart. This time appears to present a different set of circumstances. 

“My time at East Carolina, it definitely helped mold me into a better player and definitely a better person,” Conner said. “I've grown and I feel like I'm definitely ready to take that next step so I'm excited for the next part of it.”

Conner says he has a great deal of respect for players that come in and play as freshmen because of the mental and physical challenges they deal with. The former Ole Miss tight end experienced that firsthand back in the day, now he’s in a position to help players like he used to be come along. 

Vanderbilt was interested in Conner even before it knew that he could be an impact contributor for it, though. That meant something to him. Conner’s initial recruitment was primarily handled by Lynch and Lustig last time, but Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea took matters into his own hands this time. When Conner sat down with Lea, he says it was an experience unlike he’s had with any other head coach throughout any of his recruiting processes. Conner says the conversation included talk of home and life more than it included football. 

That’s how he knew this was right.

“SEC, like that's always what I wanted to do like even coming out of high school like I wanted to compete amongst the best and put myself amongst the best,” Conner said. “To have that opportunity again is just something I really couldn't pass up and especially doing it at Vanderbilt seeing like the direction of the program has definitely been trending upward and that's definitely something big that I noticed. I trust [Lea], like I really trust what he’s doing with Vanderbilt.”