Vanderbilt Commodores Players With Best Seasons Through Late Bye Week
The Vanderbilt Commodores didn't enter the bye week with a lot of momentum after falling out of the Top 25, but they should still be very happy with where the program is at under Clark Lea.
Already bowl eligible with two huge games remaining on the year, the Commodores' best campaign in years has been led by a couple of standout players.
Pro Football Focus updates their weekly grades, and the top players for Vanderbilt should be fairly unsurprising to those that have watched the games this season.
TE Eli Stowers - 88.7
Stowers was once a very promising quarterback recruit for the Texas A&M Aggies, but now is one of the nation's best tight ends. It is a common position switch to make, but is rarely as successful as it has been for Stowers.
He was one of the many New Mexico State Aggies who followed Jerry Kill to the Commodores. He was used in more ways last season, but has had a better overall campaign this year.
The senior has built up his NFL stock with 42 catches for 557 yards and four touchdowns as a receiving threat.
QB Diego Pavia - 84.4
Pavia, another former Aggie who followed Kill, earned national acclaim when Vanderbilt took down the Alabama Crimson Tide earlier this season.
It hasn't been the most consistent campaign of all time, but he has had plenty of great moments, showcasing his knack for showing up when it matters most.
The senior has completed a career-high 60.6% of his passes for 1,843 yards with 15 touchdowns to three interceptions through the air. He has also has had a major impact on the ground with 159 carries for 628 yards and five touchdowns.
SS Randon Fontenette - 76.3
Fontenette is yet another transfer portal pickup, this time from the TCU Horned Frogs.
The sophomore was a four-star recruit out of high school who appeared in every game for the Horned Frogs, but was more of a special teamer than anything.
He was immediately made a starter upon joining the Commodores, and the results have been great. He's a defender with the size of a linebacker, but moves like a safety.
Coverage is one of his strong suits, and even though he got burned in his debut at Vanderbilt, they went on to win that game and he has been lockdown ever since.
He also provides a lot in run defense and is an efficient pass rusher when called upon.
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders