Vanderbilt football lost another heartbreaker to Missouri, 30-27, in double overtime on Saturday.
That culminated the first third of the Commodores’ season. At 2-2, Vanderbilt has been in every game but has come away with just two victories.
All but one game from here on out is an SEC game. With conference play just getting going and the season one-third complete, that allows us to evaluate the players who have been better and worse than expected through the first four weeks.
The Commodores (2-2, 0-1 SEC) are off next week before returning to FirstBank Stadium to play Alabama.
Here are the players who have increased or decreased their stock from the preseason:
Stock up: Eli Stowers
In the preseason, it was Cole Spence who showed out in scrimmages and practices among the tight ends. While Stowers was assumed to play a big role as well, he didn’t have a particularly impactful camp.
So far, Stowers has become Vanderbilt’s top receiving threat. His 19 catches are more than double the next person, and he has 220 yards with one touchdown.
Stowers has cemented himself as Diego Pavia’s favorite target and the former quarterback has also been used on a handful of trick plays. If he continues this trajectory, Stowers could become one of the more impactful tight ends in the SEC.
Stock down: Wide receivers beyond Quincy Skinner and Junior Sherrill
Quincy Skinner has nine catches for 132 yards and Junior Sherrill has seven catches for 104 yards. Though the statistical impact is somewhat modest, that’s partly because the Commodores do not throw the ball very much, leading to fewer opportunities for receivers.
But one of the questions coming out of camp was who would emerge as the third option beyond those two. So far, the answer has been no one. Arguably, the two players who have flashed most are freshmen. Tristen Brown had three catches for 27 yards against Alcorn State and Joseph McVay had a 65-yard touchdown catch against Missouri. Neither player has appeared in all four games yet, so the coaching staff has a decision to make on preserving their redshirts.
Other receivers like Loic Fouonji, Dariyan Wiley and Richie Hoskins have done very little. Transfers Jeremiah Dillon and Micah Bell haven’t played at all.
Stock up: Bryan Longwell
Longwell was assumed in the preseason to be the second starting linebacker alongside Langston Patterson, but it was unclear what kind of step forward he would take as a sophomore.
So far, so good.
Longwell is second to only Patterson with 27 tackles. He leads the team with four tackles for loss and is tied for first with 1.5 sacks. He also has one interception and one pass breakup. With a combination of some pass-rushing and coverage abilities, Longwell could continue to grow into a truly impact player.
Stock down: Penalty discipline
In 2023, Vanderbilt was one of the best teams in the country at avoiding penalties, ranking 24th in the country in penalty yards per game. You could argue that part of this was due to the Commodores so often getting burned on defense that the defenders weren’t even in a position to commit penalties. Regardless, Vanderbilt this year has often been committing penalties like false starts and holding. The Commodores are 123rd of 134 FBS teams in penalty yards per game, and that will need to change.
Stock up: Glenn Seabrooks
Seabrooks has opened eyes as a true freshman. He leads Vanderbilt interior defensive linemen in tackles, with 14, and also has a tackle for loss and an interception.
Although Seabrooks had a good camp, he was projected to be in the rotation, as it’s impossible to project a non-5-star true freshman to make a significant impact right away in the SEC, especially at a position like defensive line. Seabrooks has established himself as one of the top freshmen in the conference and, along with Longwell, Patterson and Martel Hight, the future of the Commodores’ defense.
Stock down: Yilanan Ouattara and Darren Agu
Vanderbilt had high hopes for two big, athletic international players in its 2022 recruiting class with Agu and Ouattara. But so far, the two haven’t been having the impact that was hoped.
Ouattara hasn’t been bad. He’s made nine tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups. But with players like Christian James, Seabrooks and Thomas playing well, and Vanderbilt sometimes opting to move edge defenders Khordae Sydnor and Zaylin Wood inside, Ouattara has faced a lot of competition for playing time.
Agu, on the other hand, has almost completely disappeared. He played in 11 games in 2022 and 10 in 2023 but so far in 2024, he’s played in just two games and hasn’t recorded any stats.