Vanderbilt Football Fall Camp Preview: Cornerbacks

Vandy on SI’s projected depth chart: 

Field starter: Martel Hight

Field rotational pieces: Jordan Matthews, Marlon Jones

Field backups: Trudell Berry

Boundary starter: Kolbey Taylor

Boundary rotational pieces: Jaylin Lackey, Mark Davis

Boundary backups: Cayden Daniels

What to watch for: 

If Vanderbilt feels good enough about its cornerback room, it can more comfortably play more man coverage in 2025. That could change the complexion of its defense in defensive coordinator Steve Gregory’s first season at the helm. 

Vanderbilt has improved depth with the addition of Tennessee transfer Jordan Matthews as well as the development of the now-healthy Jones and Davis, but whether it can have a corner or two step up alongside Hight will determine where the room goes moving forward. 

Perhaps Jamaal Richardson’s cornerback room has as much variance as any defensive room on Vanderbilt’s roster. It’s got transfers looking to break out at new places. It’s got a young guy in Lackey, who Vanderbilt expects to take a leap this season. It’s also got a wild card in Taylor as well as two guys coming off of a major injury and cancer, respectively. 

The cornerback room has historically been one of Vanderbilt’s least productive rooms under Clark Lea, but this one has enough pieces to potentially take a step forward. 

It has to have at least a guy or two take a step forward, though. If it doesn’t, it will be talking about its depth all season without proof that it can produce a second capable starter. 

A big camp for Taylor

Taylor flashed over the course of 2024, but generated most of his headlines as a result of penalties, his mysterious absences from games rather than his play. Taylor’s spring ball was better in that regard as he largely stayed penalty free, but he’s on the hook to do that 

He’s as gifted as any corner in Vanderbilt’s room and has uncanny positional size, but he’s got to prove that this is the summer and fall that he can put it all together in order to beat out a surging Lackey, who has a chance to take his job if things go the way they did in the spring. 

The competition behind Taylor will be more competitive than it was last season, particularly with the strong impression that Daniels made in the spring being accounted for. 

What’s at stake

If Vanderbilt finds a guy or two that it can trust throughout camp, it will make a first-year defensive coordinator’s job significantly easier. If it can’t, it will force him to get creative and to take some risks in order to get stops. 

It’s open season a bit behind Hight and on the other side of him. Vanderbilt needs to find some answers here, particularly if Hight is going to see significant time at wide receiver over the course of the season. 

The more pressure on Hight, the worse for Vanderbilt.