Starters that will catch passes: Cole Spence, Jayvontay Conner
Rotational blockers: Maurice Veney, Gabe Fisher
Fighting for reps: Walter Taylor, Tilden Riley, Adam Gehm
Out the door goes the most successful tight end in Vanderbilt football history as Eli Stowers enters camp with the Philadelphia Eagles after being selected in the first round, and now Vanderbilt has to pivot.
“We lost a ton of production,” Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck said, “And so it’s not so much about trying to replace it. It’s more about finding the identity of this team, and who are guys that we need to find ways to get them the football. And so that’s where we want to put them in all those different situations, give them an opportunity to compete against the defense and then see what they can do.”
Vanderbilt does have some veteran options in the room that it believes can pick up the slack, though. Here’s who will make an impact on the room in 2026.
Cole Spence
Spence has put in his time as a member of Vanderbilt’s tight end room, and the room is finally his to lead.
The expectation is that Spence is expected to take on a significantly greater load as a pass catcher than he did a season ago and will likely be Vanderbilt’s leading receiver in the room. Spence has demonstrated pass catching ability previously, but he’s been used primarily as a blocker.
Spence caught 15 balls and went for 233 yards in 2025, but could be in for a career year in 2026.
“What a blessing it has been just to be around Eli for this season, always poured into us, and how much I’ve learned from him, not just as a player, but as a man,” Spence said. “With him gone, there’s more reps to go around, and that’s not just for me, that’s for a lot of the other guys. So it’s really exciting. I think everybody’s ready to step up to the plate.”
Jayvontay Conner
Conner went for 23 receptions and 333 yards a season ago at East Carolina and returns to the SEC after beginning his career at Ole Miss. Now, more than ever, he appears to be ready to embrace the SEC.
The spring ball performances from Conner indicated that he has the ability to translate what he did at East Carolina to Vanderbilt with some level of consistency. He’d like to believe so, at least.
“I’d say I’m very confident in myself,” Conner said. “The first route I knew how to run was a fade ball. So, like, I got really confident running fade routes. I’ve always felt like, when the ball is in the air, like, even through different routes, if that ball is in the air and it’s between me and a defender, I always feel like it’s no 50/50 with it. I always feel like I’m the favorite to come out with it.”
Walter Taylor
Taylor makes the transition from tight end after giving everything he had to his dream of playing quarterback at the Division-I level. The adjustment hasn’t been seamless, but Taylor is picking up the position quickly and heads to fall camp with the opportunity to find his way onto the field.
The flashes are there for Taylor, but blocking will be the aspect of his game that has to improve if he’s going to get on the field. Taylor is determined to make that happen.
“It’s like ‘man, I don’t really have that much time left playing college football, and I want to be a player. I want to play,” Taylor said. “I just thought that playing tight end would give me the best opportunity to get on the field.”
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