Three Quick Takeaways From Vanderbilt Football’s Initial Depth Chart

Vanderbilt football’s offseason is over and the focus now officially has shifted to the 2025 season. The Commodores take on Charleston Southern Saturday night to kick off the new season.

Tuesday, Vanderbilt released its first depth chart of the season as it is focused on starting the year 1-0. There are plenty of expectations from ’s projected depth chart that were met, but there are a few notable things from the official depth chart that are worth talking about.

Here are three takeaways upon the release of Vanderbilt’s depth chart ahead of Week 1.

Eli Stowers Will Play and Start

There were questions coming into this week as to the availability of star tight end Eli Stowers. Stowers and backup tight end Cole Spence both had limited actions for most of fall camp due to injuries that flared up.

After Vanderbilt’s second scrimmage, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea mentioned the possibility of Stowers’ injury affecting his availability for the game against Charleston Southern, making him questionable for Saturday night. This good news, however, is that Stowers will be playing against the Buccaneers and taking away the stress off fans.

Cade McConnell Has Won the Quick Guard Battle

The former Minnesota transfer played in all 12 games he was available for last season, but did not make a start. This season, it came down to a battle with Texas Tech transfer Sterling Porcher, who started in 11 games with the Red Raiders last season.

After a long battle in camp, McConnell has won the battle at the quick guard position at least for now. It is plausible that it could change depending on how McConnell performs, but as of now, the starting job is his. However, Porcher is likely going to see some meaningful playing time in the offensive line rotation regardless. As part of Texas Tech’s offensive line, the Red Raiders finished in the top 10 last season in scoring offense and received a pressure rating of 97.1 from Pro Football Focus.

Whether it is McConnell or Porcher throughout the season, Vanderbilt has two solid options at guard.

Kolbey Taylor to Start at Corner

Everyone knew that Martel Hight was the best cornerback on the roster. The question was who will be the No. 2 cornerback and get the start at the boundary position. Would it be Kolbey Taylor, Jaylin Lackey or Marlon Jones?

As the depth chart reveals, the boundary starter will be Kolbey Taylor. Him becoming the second starting corner is a bit of a surprise considering that Lackey and Jones seemed to be the frontrunners during camp from the observations of ’s Joey Dwyer.

But what separated the former Wyoming transfer from Lackey and Jones is his maturation and discipline he exhibited throughout camp. In 2024, Taylor made 23 tackles as he started in six of the 11 games he played in.

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