Vanderbilt Football Defensive Takeaways After the Third Day of Fall Camp

There were a few things that stood out from Vanderbilt’s defense Friday. Here are Vandy On SI’s takeaways from the third practice.

Sep 27, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores defensive lineman Jaylon Stone (92) celebrates the sack of Utah State Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was another day and another practice in the blistering summer heat on Vanderbilt’s campus for Vanderbilt football’s third day of fall camp. The Commodores had another fun and interesting practice going into the first off day of camp.

Friday’s practice was full of noteworthy things to monitor from both the offense and the defense. Particularly on the defense, there were some players that had good days that could lead to something more later on in camp.

Here are Vandy On SI’s defensive takeaways from the third day of camp.

A Gap Closing on the Safety Depth Chart?

In Thursday’s defensive takeaways, the performance of Vanderbilt safety Davin Chandler was talked about. He seemed to be in the area of the ball pretty often and looked good doing so.

Friday, Chandler had another really good day. The sophomore safety was able to once again find himself in areas where things were happening. Chandler made a couple things happen on defense, continuing to put on a good start to camp.

The development of Chandler’s play could create some shift in the safety depth chart in terms of who could take over the No. 3 safety spot. In Vandy On SI’s pre-camp safety projection, Dontae Carter was listed as the third safety while Chandler was listed as a guy to watch.

Through three days of camp, Chandler has looked better. That is not to say that Carter has been bad, but he has not performed as positively as Chandler has. Perhaps that could be that Chandler has happened to get off to a hotter start and Carter could turn up the dial on his performance over the next couple weeks.

Going into the first off day of camp, though, Chandler looks like he could be closing the gap for the third spot in the position room. It will take more time to make a more clear determination in that battle. Chandler has not passed Carter by any means, but he could if he keeps up what he has been doing.

A Pair of Defensive Transfers Had Their Moments, Too

Two defensive lineman that Vanderbilt added through the portal this offseason were Iowa EDGE transfer Brian Allen Jr. and Boston College EDGE transfer Edwin Kolenge.

Friday, both Allen Jr. and Kolenge had their bright spots in practice. The two performed well in practice, showing what they could bring to Vanderbilt’s defensive line this season. Perhaps the more encouraging of the two is Kolenge because Vandy On SI projected him to be one of the guys to watch for whereas Allen Jr. is listed as a projected starter.

Both Allen Jr. and Kolenge have experience playing at the power conference level, which is always good to have. The question is how their skillsets transition to the SEC level. Friday, both of them had a good day.

Jaylon Stone Looks to be Developing Nicely

One of the transfer portal additions the Commodores added ahead of the 2025 season, defensive lineman Jaylon Stone, was another practice standout on the defense Friday.

Stone played in all 13 games last season and finished with 22 tackles, forced a fumble and defended two passes. It feels like going into this season that Stone will have an enhanced role on the defensive line and will need to improve his game because of that. Friday, it looked like his development was on display. Stone seemed to have more conviction in practice.

Stone is a player to watch on the inside part of the defensive line to make a better impact this season at getting to opponents backfields.

Follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads and Blue Sky for the latest news.