Offensive Takeaways From Vanderbilt Football's First Fall Camp Practice
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NASHVILLE—-Vanderbilt football was back on the field Wednesday afternoon as it opened fall camp for the sixth time in the Clark Lea era with what he calls his deepest roster to date. Lea would acknowledge that his team is far from a finished product at this stage, but he likely saw some flashes on Wednesday.
Lea and offensive coordinator Tim Beck have a few veterans to lean on, but will have to engineer an offense that can pick up where former standout Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and star tight end Eli Stowers left off.
Pavia was in attendance at Wednesday’s practice and was watching the first fall camp practice since his departure alongside former Vanderbilt offensive lineman Chase Mitchell. Here’s a few takeaways from what happened in front of Pavia and Mitchell.
Solid quarterback play
Lea prefaced early that none of his quarterbacks at this stage should be compared to Pavia, but it appeared on Wednesday that there’s reason for optimism surrounding its best options.
Five-star freshman Jared Curtis made a few flash throws that caught everyone in the building’s eye and demonstrated why he was regarded the way he was as a high schooler. Curtis wasn’t perfect by any means–and made a few throws that appeared to be below his capability–but his ball placement was exceptional on a few throws and he didn’t make all that many poor reads.
Veteran Blaze Berlowitz sent out a reminder on Wednesday as to why his name should still be in consideration as Vanderbilt’s offensive staff navigates an open competition. Berlowitz flashed at times in his own way and showed signs that the game has slowed down for him some. He did put the ball on the ground once and still had a puzzling read or two.
Wednesday wasn’t a surgical practice by any means, but it wasn’t an indicator that Vanderbilt won’t have a chance to have good quarterback play in 2026.
Rust
Beck came right out and said that Junior Sherrill is Vanderbilt’s leader in the receiver room. When a guy like that drops a few balls in a practice, it’s generally a team-wide theme. And, on Wednesday it was.
Sherrill dropped two. Vanderbilt tight end Cole Spence dropped one. Alabama transfer wide receiver Cole Adams dropped one as well. Those moments don’t indicate that Vanderbilt will have a drop problem by the time it takes the field on September 5 for its opener against Austin Peay, but they indicated that Wednesday won’t be its sharpest practice to date.
Wednesday’s practice looked like the first camp of fall practice. The energy was high enough, but not off the charts. There were moments of promise, but not any overwhelming standouts that looked entirely different than they did in the spring.
Some uncertainty at receiver
There was still no splash performance from anyone that could potentially complement Sherrill. But, it wasn’t an entirely poor day there.
Ja’Cory Thomas has a big fall camp ahead after a disappointing first spring at Vanderbilt that brought into question whether he’s capable of getting separation consistently at this level. Thomas didn’t necessarily blow anyone out of the water on Wednesday, but he was a relatively reliable target that put himself in some positive conversations throughout the day.
Beck also raved about junior receiver Tristen Brown and his potential to take a leap after appearing in all 13 of Vanderbilt’s games in 2025, but catching only 10 balls for 137 yards.
Joseph McVay and Brycen Coleman also both had their moments on Wednesday morning, but both will have to show much more to prove before locking down a wide-receiver No. 3 role. Beck says Kayleb Barnett has also become much more confident in the playbook, which could help Vanderbilt expand what packages he’s used in.
Health
No significant offensive players were held out of practice on Wednesday afternoon due to injury, which is expected and a major win for Vanderbilt entering camp.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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