Clark Lea (HC) – With a 29-36 record over his stint at Vanderbilt, Lea has turned a traditionally lackluster SEC program into a respectable conference opponent that was a fringe playoff team in 2025. Looking back to 2024, Lea’s team was in a similar situation where many fans overlooked them on their schedule, and his team dominated the Alabama Crimson Tide as a result. Coming off a massive win against Georgia, the Tide strolled into Nashville and left with a loss after being completely dominated from start to finish.

‌Jared Curtis (QB #2) – As the highest ranked recruit ever to commit to Vanderbilt, Curtis flipped from Georgia late in the cycle and early enrolled in Nashville. Curtis has still lived up to the expectations early totaling 341 total yards and three touchdowns in his first win and start. His dual threat ability and lively arm give him an extremely talented tool kit that has the ability to extend plays and create magic against a dominant defense.

‌Junior Sherrill (WR #0) – In Saturday’s loss to Auburn, Sherrill did his role of offensive production efficiently and effectively, nearly totaling 100 yards receiving. With a young quarterback at the helm, Sherrill’s trusted hands and ability to get open have seemingly turned him into Curtis’ new best friend. In a toxic environment like Sanford Stadium, receptions, especially for first downs extending drives, can quiet the environment and spark confidence into the young quarterback allowing him to muster the courage to strike down the field against the Junkyard Dawg defense.

‌C.J. Heard (S #8) – The 5 ‘11 safety from just down the road in Atlanta has been a heat seeking missile his entire career making stops in both the run and pass game. As a key member of the secondary, Heard is traveling on a mission to disrupt any offensive momentum for the Dawgs. In the loss on the Plains, Heard totaled nine tackles with eight of them being solo tackles. This sure tackling helps allow for a defensive unit to reset on the field instead of resetting on the bench after a score.

‌Martel Hight (CB #4) – The senior cornerback from the Peach state has quietly become one of the best in the conference at forcing turnovers. Picking off four passes in 2025, Hight has the ability to cover any team’s best receiver in man coverage along with filling his zone exceptionally well if Coach Lea’s team decides to defend in that way. On the season, Hight has one interception already along with a pass break up.

‌Brock Taylor (K #88) – With special teams occasionally being the breaking point in many of these highly contested matchups, Taylor has been reliable on the season holding a perfect extra point percentage along with an 83.3 % field goal rate. His ability to be a surefire answer for points once crossing into opposing territory offers the Commodores some hope for their chances of scoring against a stingy Junkyard Dawg defense.