Vanderbilt Football's Bryce Cowan Projects To Have Bigger Role Than Ever Before, And He's Ready For It
In this story:
NASHVILLE—Last time Vanderbilt linebacker Bryce Cowan stood in this spot just beyond the lines of Vanderbilt’s grass practice field in the weeks leading up to a season, he had an admission to make. It was a few days before Vanderbilt’s fall camp closed, and Cowan wasn’t afraid to say that he didn’t show what he wanted to.
Cowan said at the time that he felt “kind of slow” at the beginning of camp after adding 15 pounds to his frame in the offseason and that he was open to dropping around five pounds prior to the season in order to create more speed. The resounding message from his few minutes with the media was that he didn’t believe his season would be defined by his lackluster camp, but he had significant work to do before Vanderbilt’s opener against Charleston Southern.
Thursday felt and sounded different, though.
By the time Cowan met the media, Vanderbilt linebackers Bryan Longwell and Nick Rinaldi as well as Vanderbilt linebackers coach Nick Lezynski had already sung his praises enough to where his name all-but dominated each presser. Cowan didn’t add much to the buzz with his soft-spoken way, but he appeared more confident–and more importantly, less defeated–than when he stood here a year ago.
“I’m definitely more consistent,” Cowan said in regard to his practice performance this camp relative to last camp. “That’s the main thing for me, just staying consistent in all aspects–off the field and on the field.”
Cowan put together the best season of his career in 2025, but Lezynski–who talked to an NFL scout extensively before meeting the media on Thursday–regards him as a potential NFL player and is among those who believes there’s more out there for him. The career-high 278 defensive snaps, team-high five forced fumbles, the career-high three sacks and career-high 30 tackles were a positive for Cowan, but they didn’t indicate that he had truly broken out like Vanderbilt believed he could prior to the season.
The story of Cowan’s career to this point has revolved around a few splash plays he’s made–particularly one against Auburn in 2023, one against Kentucky in 2024 and another against Tennessee in 2025–and a search for more consistent moments. Perhaps the catalyst for Cowan in 2026 is as simple as an increased role.
A number of reps in Vanderbilt’s linebacker room are now open due to former standout Langston Patterson graduating, and Cowan is a natural candidate to receive them if he holds up his end of the bargain.
“Bryce, he’s such a master of his craft,” Longwell said. “He tries so hard all the time and it's really fun to watch. Like, I feel like he motivates all of us, 'cause no matter what he's doing, he's trying hard, he's running to the ball, he's working hard and I feel like that’s helped him improve his game as he's gone.”
Longwell recalls that oftentimes when Cowan was previously in position to make a consistent impact, he would wear down and his performance would suffer. Lezynski attributes Cowan not fully turning the corner in the past to his pad level being too high and limiting his power as a tackler.
Lezynski describes Cowan as a “violent” defender that has a unique physicality, length, athleticism and professional approach at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, though. As a result, Vanderbilt has seen his development through and believes it will receive the fruits of its labor in 2026.
“He’s been battling for four years to become a pro before he’s a pro,” Lezynski said. “Now he's asking the questions of the next level. Like ‘Hey, what does this guy have around me? "Hey, where's the safety rotating here? Hey, when they're in this set right now, I know that the offense is gonna do this.’ It's like ‘me, what I do, then it's us. What are we doing as a defense? And then the next level is, what are they doing as an offense?’ He has hit all those three boxes. I think the best measure of how you can tell a guy is developing is when they start to coach the other players. So he's now coaching our younger guys.”
Vanderbilt’s younger players like Broxton, Curtis and Howard are where Cowan once was–in roles that allow them to make plays in practice, but don’t include consistent in-game reps. Cowan can speak into their situations, but his is different these days.
Cowan waited his turn, and it’s paid off. He talks and walks like a guy who expects to play a significant role. That’s because he will.
“Just staying down until your time comes, that's what I did,” Cowan said. “I just never gave up, I kept going, even when times was bad, even when I knew I wasn't going to get as many reps I always kept going.”
Follow us onTwitter/X,Facebook,YouTube,Instagram,ThreadsandBlue Skyfor the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
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.
Follow joey_dwy