The past couple of seasons, Vanderbilt football was led by two of its tight ends on and off the field between Eli Stowers and Cole Spence. On the field, Stowers was one of the primary pass catchers for the Commodores’ offense while Spence played a large blocking role that helped Vanderbilt’s offense run.
Off the field, both were known as leaders on the roster. Going into the 2026 season, though, Vanderbilt does not have Stowers but it still has Spence. Reason would say that Spence is set up to have a much bigger role in the passing game, showing off his hands as he prepares to help Vanderbilt continue the momentum the program has gained the past two seasons.
With his fifth season just under three months away, Spence does have things he wants to accomplish on the field.
“As a competitor, yes I want All-SEC, I want to be all American. I want to win the John Mackey, but in my mind, those are things that are voter-controlled, and all I can control is my process, and then let my results speak for themselves. But I just want to focus on doing everything I can,” Spence told Vandy On SI.
Winning the John Mackey Award and getting on an All-SEC team is something Vanderbilt tight ends are no stranger to. In 2025, Stowers was able to win the John Mackey Award and become a member of the 2025 First Team All-SEC Offense in the same offense that Spence will play another season in.
The opportunity for Spence to do something special in 2026 will be there. All he has to do is let the work he has put in during the offseason translate onto the field.
But describing Spence as a player that is focused on individual awards would not be accurate. Spence is one of the vocal leaders in the program and will continue to play that role this season. That is why Spence’s top priority he wants to achieve this year is team-focused, making his teammates around him better as players, but more importantly, better as people.
“That’s a process question for me,” Spence told Vandy On SI as he thought about his goals for the season. “I want to be a really, really strong leader for the guys and bring guys around both in football and around the facility and also walk guys through their faith. Part of doing that is a lead by example orientation. So, I want to be so honed in on my process and finding extra spots in my day to get better and better so that I can have the best season I can ever have.”
Spence’s love for leadership comes from his Christian faith. Just like his former teammate Stowers, Spence is a spiritual leader for Vanderbilt on and off the field. In fact, his willingness to lead and fall in love with the process comes from the Bible verse Colossians 3:23, which states, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Spence’s leadership off the field has been noticed by the coaching staff as well. Vanderbilt tight ends coach Brendan Flaherty has already seen Spence take the initiative to engage with his teammates in conversations that matter.
But what is equally important in the team chemistry and bond that formed between the tight ends and the team as a whole from examples of Spence’s leadership.
“I think what you see is what you get with Cole. He’s not one of those guys that talks about something and lives a different way. What he talks about and what he has in his heart is actually how he lives his life,” Flaherty told Vandy On SI.
Since the offseason began, Spence has wasted no time working on his goal of being the best role model and leader for the program that possibly can be. Spence has joined up with one of the newest members of tight end room, Walter Taylor, to start a Bible study with other guys on the team. Taylor is new to the position room, but is a familiar face in the program. Taylor began his college career at Vanderbilt as a quarterback, but transferred to Ball State after the 2023 season. But this past offseason, Taylor transferred back to Nashville as a tight end.
The Bible study Spence and Taylor have formed has made a difference in how guys on the team have come together and has pushed the team in the right direction, according to what Flaherty has observed so far.
“I think it’s just easier for guys to connect over talking through struggles and stuff like that. It’s a little bit less football-driven, it’s a little more faith-driven. So maybe, putting the guard down a little bit, I think it’s a very healthy thing,” Flaherty said.
The way that Vanderbilt has come together as a team over the past two seasons has been one of the secret weapons that the Commodores have to quiet the doubters. The bond of the program is tight and it has produced results. Spence is hoping he can fulfill what he feels called to do this season and keep that same bond players have had for one another the previous two seasons.
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