Vanderbilt Football Excited For One Last Opportunity to Play With Seniors

Vanderbilt has had a 2025 to remember as it prepares for one last game in the season as well as the calendar year. The Commodores have a date with the Iowa Hawkeyes on New Year’s Eve in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Those who have watched Vanderbilt over the course of the fall know who has been the anchor that has allowed Vanderbilt to have a historic season: the senior class.

Led by quarterback Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt’s seniors have used their playing experiences to their advantage as the senior class came together with seemingly natural chemistry despite transferring to Nashville from various schools around the country. But the bowl game means Wednesday’s matchup is the final time that all the seniors will wear the black and gold and the final time everyone on the roster will play together.

“We’re just excited to spend one last week together, man. We know it’s coming to an end, but we’ve just been cherishing every moment together on the field and off the field,” Vanderbilt defensive lineman Khordae Sydnor said.

Sydnor is among those who will be departing after the game. The graduate student has delivered all season for the Vanderbilt defensive line. Sydnor is 10th on the team in tackles with 29, third in tackles for loss with 8.5 and has 3.5 sacks to his name.

Sydnor was one of the defenders that came up big in the second half of Vanderbilt’s game against Tennessee on Nov. 29, where helped Vanderbilt come away with a 45-24 second half runaway.

Vanderbilt cornerback Martel Hight has another season of eligibility left, but has been a key piece to Vanderbilt’s defense this year. Hight has come away with three interceptions this season and also ranks in the top 10 on the roster in tackles. In Hight’s three seasons at Vanderbilt, he has seen a 2-10 season and a 10-2 season. Hight has been a prominent player in the secondary that has been a part of the Commodores’ turnaround.

But Hight also knows the value the seniors have brought, especially over the last two seasons. He knows how special they have been to the program and the culture and attitude the eldest players on the roster have helped create.

“This team here has brought a lot of good memories and a lot of leadership. I’m just really going to miss that, especially from Diego and those guys,” Hight said. “It’s just really special and I’m here to cherish every moment of it.”

Vanderbilt’s roster is constructed of experienced transfers in multiple position groups. From Pavia to tight end Eli Stowers to offensive linemen Jordan White and Cade McConnell, Vanderbilt has seniors that transferred in and transformed the program in ways never thought possible.

The senior class for Vanderbilt has played a major role in the program’s first ever 10-win season and helped the Commodores make the AP Top 10 for the first time since 1947. Regardless of how the season ends, Vanderbilt’s 2025 senior class will be talked about amongst fans for years and possibly even decades to come.

One of the guys that transferred in, but still has eligibility is junior running back Makhilyn “MK” Young. Young transferred to Vanderbilt from New Mexico State alongside Pavia and Stowers. Young has had plenty of moments this season where he has come up big, such as his 80-yard touchdown against Missouri on Oct. 25.

Though he has the ability to play more in college, he will never be able to play with the 2025 Vanderbilt Commodores again. All season, Vanderbilt has referred to each game as the “next climb.” It has been a rallying cry of the team that helps keep the team locked in and focused on the next opponent rather than outside distractions. On New Year’s Eve, the next climb will be the final climb.

“It means everything. This is the last climb. This is team five and we want to embrace that. We want to take in all the memories. So much of this only comes around so often. We’re just taking it all in,” Young said.

Vanderbilt’s season finale will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT Dec. 31 on ESPN.

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