Eli Stowers Adds to Incredible Vanderbilt Season With First-Team All-SEC Honor
Vanderbilt is preparing for a bowl game for the first time under Clark Lea, and while that is something he and this program are certainly celebrating, he and his staff are also doing work in the transfer portal which opened on Dec. 9.
This will be an important cycle for the Commodores.
Lea is opting to utilize transfers instead of recruiting at this point in his build, deciding to get established players onto the roster which can help them compete in the SEC unlike before.
It worked for Vanderbilt this season.
While they lost plenty of talent in the portal, they also gained impact players that helped them become bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.
Diego Pavia got the majority of headlines since he's their star quarterback and performed to a level that earned him Co-Newcomer of the Year honors, but it was another New Mexico State transfer who might have been the best player on this team.
Tight end Eli Stowers was named first-team All-SEC, becoming the first Vanderbilt offensive player since Jordan Matthews and Wesley Johnson in 2013 to earn this honor.
First Team All-SEC
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) December 10, 2024
⚓️ Eli Stowers pic.twitter.com/yUYhTb0K1d
Stowers was a late bloomer in his career.
He was a quarterback in high school and committed to playing that position for Texas A&M as a four-star recruit in the 2021 class. Ranked 106th nationally by 247Sports and 12th at the position, the future seemed to be bright for him as a signal caller.
But, after only appearing in five games as a backup during his first two years with the Aggies, he transferred to New Mexico State where he switched to tight end while still playing some quarterback.
He caught 35 balls for 366 yards and two touchdowns last season.
Stowers used that success to become a full-time tight end, something that could help him play professionally in the NFL.
During his first true campaign playing this position, he had 583 yards and four touchdowns on 45 receptions for Vanderbilt this year, making the step up in class look effortless now that he was back in the SEC.
