Who Is Vanderbilt’s Third Quarterback? One Name Stood Out After Thursday’s Practice

Diego Pavia and Blaze Berlowitz are the top two quarterbacks on the roster, but who is next in the pecking order?

Jack Elliott plays in a Mount Carmel High School football game. | High School On SI

Vanderbilt is one of the fortunate teams in the country that does not have a quarterback question mark going into this fall.

The top two quarterbacks on the roster have their position cemented in the depth chart. Diego Pavia is the starter and Blaze Berlowitz will be the backup come the 2025-2026 season. Health in football is never a guarantee, so it is always important to see the talent at quarterback a team has all the way down the depth chart.

It begs the question of who will be listed as third on the depth chart. As of now, Drew Dickey is the assumed third-stringer at quarterback. But one player that has started to gain an edge on Dickey for the third spot in the quarterback room is true freshman Jack Elliott.

As Vanderbilt Commodores On SI’s Joey Dwyer reported, Elliott is looking to challenge Dickey for the No. 3 spot. Dwyer reported that Elliott was catching up to speed on the Vanderbilt offense while Dickey struggled to throw the ball downfield at Thursday’s practice.

Vanderbilt quarterback coach Garrett Altman spoke to the media after practice and talked a little bit about Elliott’s ability.

“He’s [Elliott] got the arm, he’s got the athletic ability,” Altman said. “We just got to get him comfortable with the offense and understanding when and why to check certain things.”

Elliott showed lots of promise during his high school career. Coming in as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and On3 Sports, Elliott combined for a 38-4 record and three consecutive state championships during his time in high school. 

His senior year, he threw for over 1,100 yards and 21 touchdowns and ran for over 300 yards and five scores in his five-game playoff run as he won a 7A state title. The Illinois native chose Vanderbilt over Army and Navy and was the No. 19 quarterback in his class.

Elliott’s competitiveness in the quarterback battle with Dickey gives fans a glimpse into the future. When Pavia departs from Vanderbilt after this season, Berlowitz will likely become the new starter, which opens the door for Elliott to potentially be the backup quarterback after this upcoming season.

Elliott learning his new playbook at a fast rate in his first camp could be a good indication of the future of the program. He has the opportunity to learn from Pavia this season while getting used to an SEC offense. 

For now, time will eventually tell who will become the third spot in the quarterback room. If Elliott continues to learn and progress at the rate he is, he may just impress Altman enough to win over that spot.