Vanderbilt eyes more after a historic 10-win season, but life after Diego Pavia looms

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — 2025 record: 10-3

The Vanderbilt Commodores are coming off the best season in program history, and winning 10 games has only made them hungry for more.

Coach Clark Lea helped his alma mater post the first 10-win season for a program that began play in 1890. The Commodores wound up 14th in the final College Football Playoff rankings and finished ranked 15th nationally.

“Progress is not the destination,” Lea said. “Last season was not an arrival. It was simply another step in the climb. Our objective remains what it’s always been, to build the best football program in the country.”

Such talk drew chuckles before Lea beat then-No. 1 Alabama in 2024 and followed that up with an amazing 10-3 season to earn a contract extension. Now Lea has to prove he can win without Diego Pavia , the Heisman Trophy runner-up as Vanderbilt's first ever finalist for that award.

Aside from Pavia's leadership, Vanderbilt has to find someone to take over as the offensive leader. Pavia was the AP SEC offensive player of the year who threw for 3,539 yards and led Vandy with 862 yards rushing for 4,401 total yards and 39 touchdowns. His 29 TD passes led the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt opens the season Sept. 5 hosting Austin Peay.

Lea still has Jerry Kill as his chief consultant and senior offensive assistant to help him and work with offensive coordinator Tim Beck trying to retune an offense that scored an average of 38.5 points a game in 2025.

They have running back Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young and wide receiver Junior Sherrill back. Cade McConnell has started 25 games the past two seasons on the offensive line.

Defensive coordinator Steve Gregory is back for a unit that gave up 22.8 points a game last season. Top tackler Bryan Longwell and cornerback Martel Hight, who had a career-high four interceptions in 2025, are both back.

Vanderbilt has to replace Pavia along with three top pass catchers and four starting offensive linemen.

Pavia will be the toughest. Blaze Berlowitz backed Pavia up after following him from New Mexico State, but Vanderbilt stunningly flipped Jared Curtis from Georgia. Curtis, a Nashville native, was the No. 1 overall player in his class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports.

Curtis easily is the biggest as the highest-rated recruit in the modern era at Vanderbilt. WR Ja'Cory Thomas through the portal from Old Dominion, freshman WR Kahden Smith has some nice size. WR Cole Adams is a graduate transfer from Alabama, while OL Micah DeBose transferred from Alabama after one season.

Pavia without a doubt. A close second is TE Eli Stowers, now in the NFL. WR Tre Richardson left for Louisville, and WR Richie Hoskins graduated. LB Langston Patterson went to federal court trying to get a fifth season but failed to get an injunction.

At Auburn (Sept. 26), at Georgia (Oct. 3), vs. Ole Miss (Oct. 10), vs. Alabama (Nov. 14), vs. Tennessee (Nov. 28).

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