Vanderbilt Football Transformation on Display Saturday on Senior Day

Vanderbilt’s upperclassmen have changed the entire program as they look for one more win at FirstBank Stadium.

Nov 8, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) celebrates the win against the Auburn Tigers during the overtime period at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE – It was not long ago that Vanderbilt football had a completely different perception in the college football world. For the longest time, Vanderbilt was at the bottom of the SEC and considered an automatic win for nearly every other SEC team. But quickly things have changed in just the last two seasons.

Players grew up and got better. Head coach Clark Lea used the transfer portal to bring in talent from other schools, who then matured themselves and got better. In just a couple of years, all of that has led up to now, where a significant portion of the Vanderbilt football roster is made up of seniors and graduate students. Whether the players have been in Nashville for the entirety of their collegiate career or transferred within the past couple of seasons, the seniors and graduate players on the roster were the driving force of the turnaround of Vanderbilt football. The Commodores have gone from an afterthought to a playoff hopeful.

Saturday, all that hard work the older guys on the team have poured into the program will be honored as No. 14 Vanderbilt takes on Kentucky for the final home game of the season. Whether it is truly the last home game or if those with remaining eligibility decide to come back for one more season, all of them should get the honor and recognition they deserve from the Vanderbilt fanbase this weekend.

“We’re excited to be able to honor our senior players who put so much into this and invested so much in our program, and in a great way to try to close out again a home schedule this season where we haven't lost to this point,” Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea said in his Tuesday press conference. “To celebrate that with our fans and with our team would be really meaningful.”

The transformation the seniors and graduate players have brought to the program has been one that will go down in school history. Lea had two 2-10 seasons in his first three seasons, including the 2023 season just two years ago. Between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Lea brought in players like Diego Pavia, Eli Stowers, Zaylin Wood and others to kickstart the sudden transformation. In 2024, Vanderbilt had quite the bounceback season with a 7-6 record with wins against a No. 1 Alabama team and Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl a year ago.

This year, the vision and hopes this team had have all come together regardless of what the end result is in terms of postseason position. The Commodores have had without question a historic season, achieving its first ranking in the top 10 since the 1940s and winning at least seven games before November for the first time since 1915. The team also made history by beating three top 15 teams in the same season for the first time as a program.

All the success and history Vanderbilt has had this year could not have been done with the most experienced and eldest players on the roster. In other words, this could not have been done without the guys who will be playing at FirstBank Stadium for the final time. One of the main players that had contributed to the turnaround is quarterback Diego Pavia. The New Mexico State transfer is in his second year at Vanderbilt, but has put up enough accolades that many collegiate athletes take all four years to achieve.

“He’s had some absolutely magical moments on that field and will leave this program having forever changed it, so there's a celebration to be had in watching him compete for the final time at First Bank Stadium. I want the Vanderbilt community to show up in support of that. We need to honor this guy and show up in support of him and make sure he feels the Vanderbilt community behind him,” Lea said of Pavia playing at home for the final time. “He’ll be someone who will be in conversations for the next 50 years here.”

One of the players that will be honored Saturday and has seen the transformation first-hand all the way through is safety Marlen Sewell. As a fifth year senior, Sewell has seen the highs and the lows of the Lea era. Sewell has been on the 2-10 teams and the 5-7 team and now the currently 8-2 team. He is one of the few players who can truly say that he trusted the process since Lea took over as head coach in 2021.

Sewell has seen the attendance change in FirstBank Stadium throughout the past few years. From playing in home games where it felt like it was a road game to now playing in home games where the home field advantage is palpable, Sewell has seen it all.

“I can't even speak. I'm really going to miss college in general. And just seeing that field in that stadium go from what it was in 2021 to now. It's just crazy, because I’ve seen the whole transformation. So playing my last home game is kind of sad, but I'm excited at the same time,” Sewell said as he reflected on his time playing in FirstBank Stadium.

When Vanderbilt takes its home field for the final time this season and honors those who will be playing at home for the final time in their careers, it will be representative of the change in culture and perception that Lea and the coaching staff has brought to Nashville.