Vanderbilt Football Top 20 Player Rankings: No. 1
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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football is in a new era under head coach Clark Lea as it moves forward after a program-best 10-3 season, but does so while replacing star quarterback Diego Pavia and star tight end Eli Stowers.
Lea and company believe that the program can move forward as winners, though, and the amount of experience they bring back is at the forefront of the reasons why.
Lea has the 34th most experienced offense in the country, the No. 4 defense in the country, is No. 2 in game experience in the country and No. 12 in returning starts.
“Just in terms of quality depth, I mean, this is probably the best team we've had,” Lea told Vandy on SI. “Obviously, we have some big gaps to fill, and some of those gaps were our production leaders from a year ago, but I like this team. I like where we are.”
This Vanderbilt team doesn’t appear to have the elite names at the top of the roster that Lea’s 2025 team did, but he believes he’s got a capable group at every level.
In Vandy on SI’s top 20 players list, all three phases will be represented, as well as every offensive and defensive position group.
No. 1: Junior Sherrill
Sherrill was Vanderbilt’s second leading receiver in 2025 as he went for 784 yards on 54 receptions and scored seven touchdowns–including a 46 yarder, and was really good by all definitions. Now, though, he’s got a chance to be elite. In some ways, he’s got to be in the aftermath of Eli Stowers’ and Tre Richardson’s exits.
And he's got no shortage of confidence.
“I want to be the most dynamic person with the ball in my hands in the country,” Sherrill told Vandy on SI this summer. “I feel like I’m gonna be an all-conference player this year.”
In a league with perhaps the best collection of receivers in the country, Sherrill believes that he matches up among the best. Lea’s case for Sherrill being able to achieve that includes his 13 career receiving touchdowns–which is fifth among SEC returning players–his 1,488 career receiving yards–which is eighth–and the fact that he’s one of 11 returning players in the league that went for over 700 yards and over five touchdowns in 2025. Lea said he believed Sherrill should be in the mix for the preseason awards list.
Why No. 1?
Sherrill is the player on Vanderbilt's roster with the best mix of proven production and ceiling that's yet to be tapped into. Who knows if he becomes elite, but he's got a better chance than most on Vanderbilt's roster.
“I feel like anybody who is in front of me is in the way of what I’m trying to get,” Sherrill said. “I feel like I’m a more mature receiver now. “
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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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