Vanderbilt Commodores NFL Draft Prospects

Vanderbilt authored the best season in program history in 2025, going 10-3 with a 6-2 SEC mark, cracking the top 10 for the first time in decades and closing inside the final national top 15. That run was powered by Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Diego Pavia, and replacing him defines everything about 2026. The Commodores lost Pavia, Mackey Award-winning tight end Eli Stowers, leading receiver Tre Richardson and four offensive line starters, then pulled off an all-time recruiting flip by prying five-star quarterback Jared Curtis away from a Georgia commitment.

Curtis, rated the No. 2 overall prospect in his class, is the most heralded signee in school history and the frontrunner to start Week 1. The question is whether a program built on Pavia's belief and swagger can sustain that momentum with a true freshman under center and coordinator Tim Beck's proven system around him.