Randon Fontenette Conducts Self Evaluation

Vanderbilt football's STAR Randon Fontenette believes there's more out there for him in 2025 than he's shown to this point. Clark Lea has a similar belief. Here's why.

Sep 20, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Randon Fontenette (2) deflects the pass of Georgia State Panthers safety D-Icey Hopkins (4) during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE—In Vanderbilt’s biggest defensive performances of 2024, Randon Fontenette was all over the place. He picked off Jalen Milroe for six in its upset win over No. 1 Alabama. He racked up tackle after tackle against Missouri. As Vanderbilt’s defense has taken a step forward in 2025, Fontenette has been eerily quiet. 

The Vanderbilt STAR posted nearly weekly on Instagram last season, this season he hasn’t yet. A season ago he appeared to be a fixture in press conferences, this season he’s been outside of the spotlight. The sheer tackle numbers in themselves are drastic for the Vanderbilt STAR–whose positional role indicates that he’ll be all over the field–at this point last year he had 43. Now, he’s got just 24 tackles. 

“I feel like I haven't had my best season,” Fontenette admitted on Tuesday. “I haven't been getting a lot of action coming my way, but these next four games are very important to me and I feel like I'm gonna take off.”

Fontenette came into 2024 after a season at TCU in which he played sparingly and appeared to struggle to find a way on to the field consistently. His emergence was a surprise of sorts within the grander scope of the SEC based off of his prior body of work, but Fontenette eventually put together a season in which he was a borderline All-SEC player and eventually represented Vanderbilt at SEC Media Days in Atlanta. 

The topics of discussion that day ranged from what the Vanderbilt STAR had to do in order to take a leap, what he wanted to show NFL evaluators ahead of his opportunity to raise his draft stock and the role he’d play in an improved Vanderbilt defense under Steve Gregory. Everyone in the building knew what he could do. It appears as if every building Fontenette steps into is that way nowadays, though. 

 “For as disruptive as he was a year ago, there is a book out,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “I think a lot of that book is running to the boundary. For as much pressure as we've shown to the field, and again, for having that extra defender over there as an overhang, we see a lot of formation of boundaries. You can see a lot of under the boundary. 
There's ways we can plan around that, but because he's on the perimeter, there's also opportunity for them to avoid him.”

Vanderbilt was intentional about getting Fontenette involved in the game in its Saturday win against Missouri–in which he was often utilized in blitz packages–but it’s urging its STAR to avoid pressing and working so hard to find a way to impact the game that he’s hurting this Vanderbilt team. 

Fontenette is at the top of scouting reports these days, though. It’s a sign of respect within the country’s best football conference, but adjusting to the lack of action has been a reality that Fontenette has had to process alongside Commodores’ STARS coach Jimmy Thompson. 

“Last year, I was getting a lot coming my way, this year it's been different,” Fontenette said. “I talked to my coaches about it 'cause I kind of got frustrated with, you know, my, you know, stats and stuff like that as a player, you want stats, you want the sacks, you want the tackles, you want the picks, but I sat and talked to him, he just told me ‘they're scheming away from you, but when the plays come, you have to make it.’ That's what I've been focusing on.”

Pro Football Focus graded Fontenette below a 60.0 in three-consecutive games prior to Vanderbilt’s Saturday win over Missouri, but the mere numbers surrounding Vanderbilt’s defensive standout don’t appear to tell the full story surrounding his season. 

Fontenette’s impact has appeared to be nullified at times, but he has to impact this thing. He has to act like a veteran when things don’t go his way. 

“These guys all care so much and they want to be involved, they want to do their part,” Lea said. “When' they don't feel like they're doing their part, whether it's because the players are there and they're not making them, or the plays aren't there. I think what we do as competitors is we press and we try to find the play. And the truth is, what we need to do is just stay committed to process to play the game the right way, and eventually have the patience. The play will come to you.”