Where Does Vanderbilt Football Go Without Cole Spence?

Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea delivered some not so good news about one of his players to the media Tuesday. Vanderbilt starting tight end Cole Spence has sustained a lower body injury and is declared "week-to-week," per Lea.

Ahead of Vanderbilt’s 2026 season-opener against Austin Peay, Spence was listed as the starting tight end of the offensive depth chart, which was released the Tuesday before Vanderbilt's win over Austin Peay. However, Spence did not play in the season-opener and right now it is not looking like Spence will play this weekend against Delaware either. Another note about Spence's injury is that Lea called it "not insignificant."

Spence was primed to take over the top tight end spot for Vanderbilt after Eli Stowers left for the NFL Draft in April. Eventually, that day for Spence will come. It will just be delayed for the time being

So, where does Vanderbilt go offensively now that Spence – who was ready to take on a more heavy receiving role this season – is out?

One of the clear options is going to be more of a heavy workload for East Carolina tight end transfer Jayvontay Conner. In the game one depth chart, Conner was listed as the second starting tight end. In the game, Conner caught four passes for 30 yards in the win over Austin Peay. In Vanderbilt’s offense that starts two tight ends, the second starting tight end normally serves more as the primary blocking tight end while the guy in Spence’s spot normally serves as the primary receiving tight end.

What will be interesting to see is whether Conner will be in Spence’s slot against Delaware and continue to play a role in the passing game compared to blocking assignments in Spence’s absence.

The issue with that, though, is that Vanderbilt is still going to need enough bodies to help in the blocking tight end space. So in the meantime with Spence’s injury, Walt Taylor will probably see more snaps and help block. Taylor has a 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame that is perfectly suited to block opponents.

The question with Conner and Maurice Veney, who was listed two spots behind Spence on the depth chart, will be how well they can read defenses and find holes in the defense before the play begins.

If they are able to develop and read defenses well, they could end up filling in for Spence pretty well. If not, that could become an issue in terms of how effective tight ends for Vanderbilt will be in the passing game.

But there is one other option in Vanderbilt’s tight end room that will almost certainly see more playing time in Spence’s absence: Gabe Fisher.

Fisher may not be the biggest one in the room standing at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds. But he is a veteran on Vanderbilt’s offense that knows the system that offensive coordinator Tim Beck runs. Fisher is entering his fourth season at Vanderbilt and his third season in the Beck offense.

Fisher could be the one that steps more into a pass catching role in Spence’s absence. Fisher was placed right behind Spence on the depth chart last week and is in the same spot ahead of the Delaware game, perhaps because he is more experienced in the offense than Veney is.

Of course, replacing a 6-foot-7 tight end like Spence is never easy. If Spence is not out long and becomes available next week against NC State -- assuming he does not play against Delaware -- then Vanderbilt's offense can survive. The question becomes how Vanderbilt's tight ends perform if he is not back before the start of SEC play at the end of the month.