Vanderbilt Football Top 20 Player Rankings: No. 11
In this story:
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. 11: Issa Ouattara
As former Vanderbilt defensive line coach Larry Black said, Ouattara has a 97-million dollar body. Ouattara believes that now, more than ever, he’s capable of unlocking production that comes along with his frame.
“I feel like I’ve been taking steps every year I’ve been here,” Ouattara told Vandy on SI. “But, I don’t feel like there’s ever a real sense of arrival. I don’t feel like I have a genetic ceiling. God has blessed me with a lot of talent, so I feel like it’s just in my hands to polish the gift he’s given me and just become the best player I can be.”
Ouattara has gotten better every year since arriving at Vanderbilt as an almost entirely inexperienced freshman and thought he was on the verge of a breakout until a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of the 2025 season.
He’s one of the most physically gifted players on Vanderbilt’s roster, and now’s his chance to demonstrate how much he’s improved.
Why No. 11?
The only thing holding Ouattara back from shooting up the list is him doing what everyone in Vanderbilt’s McGugin Center believes he’s capable of.
Ouattara has consistently worked at his body and believes he’s better all around than he’s been, but until then he’ll sit at the No. 11 mark.
He could rise as much as anyone on Vanderbilt’s roster, though. He intends on doing that.
“I’ve had two offseasons leading up to this season, if you think about it,” Ouattara said. “For me, missing last year, I kind of took it as an opportunity and a challenge to work on myself and be able to put the best product out there next year. Obviously there’s numbers that you want to hit, but to me, just wreaking havoc–it’s not something that you can always quantify. I just want to be a dominant force out there, it just goes with getting recognized as All-Conference, All-SEC and All-American.”
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