Vanderbilt Football 2026 Depth Chart Projection: EDGE

There are plenty of position rooms on the 2026 Vanderbilt football roster that have both experienced players and talent in the room.

One of those rooms are the EDGE rushers. With veterans such as Miles Capers and Brian Allen Jr. and other guys that can be relied on, Vanderbilt has pieces on its team that are able to get after the quarterback. Having players that can set the edge and play the position well is even more important considering how pass-happy the game of football has turned to.

With that, here is Vandy On SI’s projected depth chart of the EDGE rushers, including the starters, players to watch and a position room overview.

Vandy On SI’s Projected EDGE Depth Chart

Starters: Miles Capers and Brian Allen Jr.

Next Up: Mason Carter and Edwin Kolenge

Others to Watch: Jace McCallum, Jake Stannish

Room Overview

Vanderbilt is looking to get into the opposing backfields of its opponents this season and it feels strong about its outlook to do so.

The Commodores bring back its leader of the room, Miles Capers, for his sixth season. Capers has a sack ability, but so do others in the room. This season, the Commodores added former Iowa EDGE Brian Allen Jr. to the room and former Boston College EDGE Edwin Kolenge. Jace McCallum is the freshman in the room.

With new faces requires guys learning a new defensive system. Vanderbilt defensive ends coach Adam Morris told Vandy On SI that it has been so far so good in terms of his guys getting comfortable with the system and what the coaches want to see.

“I think it’s just confidence in the scheme,” Morris told Vandy On SI. “Other than Cape [Capers], a lot of the room is either a new face or a player in development, so that’s where I would say the biggest changes come.”

Setting the edge and attacking quarterbacks is easier said than done. The evolution of the quarterback with more dual-threat quarterbacks showing up in the modern game poses a sizable challenge to playing defensive end. Morris and the coaching staff, though, feel like they have a good mix of talent with experience despite having a couple of new faces at defensive end.

But of course, Capers is the clear leader of the room.

Three Players of Watch

Miles Capers

Going into his sixth season, Capers has accomplished a lot. He has stuck things through with head coach Clark Lea and has been a player that has made massive contributions to the turnaround Vanderbilt football has experienced over the past couple of seasons.

But he is not satisfied. Capers wants to bring Vanderbilt to new heights and he wants the personal accolades this season, too.

“I really want to be All-SEC. I got some records I want to break here and some records I want to break in the NCAA. But that’s really me. I want to be All-American and get drafted,” Capers told Vandy On SI this summer. “I want to break the sack record at Vandy and the forced fumble record.”

Capers enters the season with 8.5 career sacks. Last season, he had a career high in sacks with 4.5, but he believes he is capable of much more. It will be a high bar for him to achieve what he wants. If he even gets close to the numbers he is striving for, Vanderbilt’s defensive front will be more than dangerous.

Capers is the leader of the EDGE rushers and it is not even close. Morris and the coaching staff rave about Capers’ leadership and the impact he has on his teammates.

“He really embodies everything that we want our players to embody, from an academic perspective to a way he carries himself when he's not in the building, just when he's around campus,” Morris told Vandy on SI.

Brian Allen Jr.

A little over six months ago, Brian Allen Jr. was an EDGE rusher at Iowa and he sacked former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia in the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl. Now, he is going to be suiting up in black and gold.

Though he was not a starter at Iowa, he still showed an ability to get after the quarterback and develop plenty of experience in an always daunting Iowa defense. This season Vanderbilt believes Allen Jr. will make an impact, which is why Vandy On SI projects Allen Jr. to be the second starter, or at least No. 2 EDGE in the room this fall.

“I think where he’s been most impactful is that he’s done both at a high level,” Morris told Vandy On SI. “It’s easy to say he’s going to help us rushing or he’s going to help us another way. I really think it’s both. Like, he’s experienced.”

In the spring, Allen Jr. was described as hardworking and had his work ethic raved about. If that is the case, then that should yield more improvement and a larger likelihood that he can help Vanderbilt’s defensive line in both the run and pass defense.

Mason Carter

Mason Carter is entering his third season with the Commodores this fall. He appeared in all 13 games during the 2025 season and came away with three tackles. But this season, Carter is going to have a bigger role.

Morris told Vandy On SI that Carter is going to be relied on more heavily. In the offseason, Carter got his body right through getting stronger and thus growing in confidence as a result of that. By the sounds of it, Vanderbilt believes that Carter is more fit to match up against SEC competition. 

“He looks like a completely different human being than he did when he first got here, and I think you're seeing that physical confidence in the way that he plays,” Morris said. “We're very excited about Mason. He is smart, he works really hard, kind of in the mold of Cape [Capers] from a personality standpoint, but certainly excited for his contributions this year.”

Carter’s production is going to be needed this season on the edge. If he is able to prove to be a viable depth piece, the position room will only grow in strength.