Junior Sherrill Shines, Projecting the Offensive Line; Vanderbilt Football Practice Report

Nashville–After an action-packed, competitive padded practice on Thursday, Vanderbilt went with a lighter ordeal on Friday ahead of its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. 

The Commodores did take the field for over an hour and a half and focused most of its reps on its potential impact players. As it did, a few trends that have been brewing continued to come to the surface. 

Story of the day; Junior Sherrill

Sherrill seems primed for a junior-year leap and is clearly Vanderbilt’s go-to guy among receivers. 

The type of day that the Lipscomb Academy product had on Friday wasn’t entirely uncommon this time last year, but the consistency with which he’s standing out these days indicates that there may be a step forward out there for him. 

Sherrill struggled to consistently make a noteworthy impact on games in 2024 and too often had days where he’d only record a reception or two. Nowadays, Sherrill is making plays nearly every series he’s on the field and has had a few receptions on explosives. 

Projecting the offensive line

As of now the assumption would be that Vanderbilt will start Isaia Glass at quick tackle, Bryce Henderson at strong tackle, Jordan White at center, Cade McConnell at quick guard and Chase Mitchell at quick guard. 

Vanderbilt likely has four starters cemented in with White, Mitchell, Henderson and Glass, but has a position battle between McConnell and MTSU transfer Sterling Porcher. If the season started today it’d likely be McConnell who got the nod, but Porcher appears to have more physical tools and could beat McConnell out with a strong camp. 

The Vanderbilt offensive line appears to be gaining some sense of continuity and is performing at a higher level than it did a few days ago

Rep cuts

Vanderbilt appears to be honing in primarily on the guys that have a chance to help it in the fall rather than its developmental pieces. 

As of Thursday’s practice, it appeared as if Vanderbilt is starting to focus on continuity and getting its playmakers reps ahead of its first scrimmage on Saturday rather than building out the bottom half of its roster with segments of reps. 

Jailen Ruth is playing the best football of his career

The work that Ruth has done to his body over the years is impressive as he’s transformed from an EDGE rusher to a STAR that can really move his feet and cover. 

It’s almost as if it’s a different guy than was present within Vanderbilt’s front seven a few years ago. Ruth may not be on the field often, but he appears to be more capable than he’s been before.