Exclusive: Why Junior Sherrill Says He Plans To Return to Vanderbilt Football in 2026

TAMPA—-It may not have taken a second for Junior Sherrill to get the words out when he was asked whether he was coming back to Vanderbilt for his senior season.

The way Sherrill addressed the question was firm enough to promote the idea that there was no other possible reality rather than the one that he’s set to pursue next season. Sherrill could have options if he put his name in the transfer portal and could try to pursue a professional career, but those options don’t appear to have much appeal to him.

Sherrill is right where he wants to be, it seems.

“Oh yeah, for sure” Sherrill told Vandy on SI in regard to the idea that he’ll be returning to Vanderbilt next season. “I believe in this program.”

Nov 22, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Junior Sherrill (0) runs with the ball after a made catch against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Sherrill set out to become a more complete receiver heading into his junior season on West End. The mission included improved leadership, blocking and shedding the perception that he was just a speed option or a gadget player.

If any game indicated that Sherrill has improved, it was Wednesday’s ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Iowa. The Vanderbilt receiver went for a season-high 123 yards on a season-high eight receptions. The Vanderbilt standout went for a long of 46, but also demonstrated that he’s more developed in regard to the entire route tree.

Wednesday was Sherrill’s best game as a Vanderbilt player, but in some ways was the culmination of his improvement as a whole. Sherrill recorded his first-career 100-yard game in Vanderbilt’s senior day game against Kentucky, went for 91 yards in a half against Utah State and went for at least 75 yards in Vanderbilt’s final five games.

The final statline for Sherrill on the season is 46 receptions, 661 yards, a team-high seven touchdowns. Each of the marks were top three on the team. Perhaps the most meaningful piece of Sherrill’s numbers is the improvement that they’re evidence of. Sherrill’s 2024 season included just 29 receptions, 411 yards and three touchdowns.

Sherrill’s numbers appear to indicate that this thing was a success individually, he appears to be on board with that assessment.

“I feel like I really did accomplish that,” Sherrill said of becoming a more complete receiver. “I feel like I came short in a couple games, but at the back end of the season I feel like I really picked it up a lot, and was able to help my team a lot.”

The idea that Sherrill will return to Vanderbilt for another season appears to be as logical as anyone else on Vanderbilt’s roster deciding to come back. Barring a significant transfer portal addition, Sherrill will likely be Vanderbilt’s No. 1 receiver next season and has a chance to take on more target share as a result of Eli Stowers’ departure.

Sherrill’s personal ties also make this make sense for him more than perhaps any Vanderbilt player. The Vanderbilt receiver is a Nashville native that took a bet on this place when it was ascending, stuck with it when most of the receivers in his room left and has accounted for a handful of its best moments throughout its rise.

The Vanderbilt receiver says he feels like it was “just yesterday” that he was a freshman at 175 pounds, now he’ll be among Vanderbilt’s most experienced players as it looks to continue its rise.

He believes that the 2026 iteration of this team can go places that this program has never been before, even after the departures of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and Stowers.

“I believe in Coach [Clark] Lea’s vision,” Sherrill said. “They set the bar and the standards very high in this program, so we have no choice but to match it. I feel like all the production we did, we're gonna do nothing but keep this train rolling, maybe even more."