SEC · Nashville, TN
Vanderbilt
Commodores
Unranked2026: 3-2 (0-2 conf) FirstBank Stadium
National titles
0
Claimed
Heisman winners
0
CFP berths
0
since 2014
All-time
576-654-43
.469 win pct
Weeks ranked
16
of 104 polls since 2020
Weeks at No. 1
0
since 2020
The program
Overview
A charter member of the SEC and its only private school, Vanderbilt was a Southern power under Dan McGugin in the early 1900s but struggled for much of the modern era. James Franklin led consecutive nine-win seasons in 2012 and 2013, and under Clark Lea and quarterback Diego Pavia the Commodores upset No. 1 Alabama in 2024 and continued their rise in 2025.
- Institution
- Vanderbilt University
- Nickname
- Commodores
- Founded
- 1873
- First season
- 1890
- Conference
- SEC
- Head coach
- Clark Lea (since 2021)
- Colors
- X / Twitter
- @VandyFootball
Since 2020
AP poll history
3-2 overall
2026 season
- Sep 5AustAustin Peay9
- Sep 12
Delaware26 - Sep 19
- Sep 26
- Oct 3
- Oct 10Vanderbilt (home)
- Oct 17· FLEX: 3:30 - 4:30pm OR 6 - 8pm ET startVanderbilt (home)
- Oct 24· NIGHT: 6 - 8pm ET start
Kentucky (home) - Nov 7· FLEX: 3:30 - 4:30pm OR 6 - 8pm ET start
#17Mississippi State (home) - Nov 14· EARLY: Noon - 1pm ET startVanderbilt (home)
- Nov 21· EARLY: Noon - 1pm ET start
#16Florida (home) - Nov 28· NIGHT: 6 - 8pm ET startVanderbilt (home)
Players
Roster & stats
Rosters and player stats are tracked for teams ranked in 2026 and later.
Home field
FirstBank Stadium
Capacity
40,351
Nashville, TN
- Opened
- 1922
- 104 seasons ago
- Surface
- Artificial turf
- Roof
- Open air
- Elevation
- 525 ft
- Time zone
- Chicago
- Avg. home crowd
- 24,593
- 61% of capacity · 37 games since 2020
- Biggest crowd since 2020
- 40,350
- vs Tennessee, 2022
- Zip
- 37212
Titles & awards
Trophy case
National championships0
No claimed national titles.
Heisman Trophy winners0
No Heisman winners yet.
College Football Playoff0
No playoff appearances yet.
1899–2026
Program history
Win %★ National title season
Best seasons
- 19049-0Dan McGugin
- 19159-1Dan McGugin
- 19028-1W.H. Watkins
- 19068-1Dan McGugin
- 19108-0-1Dan McGugin
- 19118-1Dan McGugin
On the sideline
Head coaches
| Coach | Tenure | Record | Pct | Best final AP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark Lea | 2021–2026 | 26-36 | .419 | #15 |
| Todd Fitch | 2020 | 0-1 | .000 | — |
| Derek Mason | 2014–2020 | 27-55 | .329 | — |
| James Franklin | 2011–2013 | 24-15 | .615 | #23 |
| Robbie Caldwell | 2010 | 2-10 | .167 | — |
| Bobby Johnson | 2002–2009 | 29-66 | .305 | — |
| Woody Widenhofer | 1997–2001 | 15-40 | .273 | — |
| Ron Dowhower | 1995–1996 | 4-18 | .182 | — |
| Gerry DiNardo | 1991–1994 | 18-26 | .409 | — |
| Watson Brown | 1986–1990 | 10-45 | .182 | — |
| George MacIntyre | 1979–1985 | 25-52-1 | .327 | — |
| Fred Pancoast | 1975–1978 | 13-31 | .295 | — |
| Steve Sloan | 1973–1974 | 12-9-2 | .565 | — |
| Bill Pace | 1967–1972 | 22-38-3 | .373 | — |
| Jack Green | 1963–1966 | 7-29-4 | .225 | — |
| Arthur Guepe | 1953–1962 | 39-54-7 | .425 | — |
| Bill Edwards | 1949–1952 | 21-19-2 | .524 | — |
| Red Sanders | 1946–1948 | 19-10-1 | .650 | #12 |
| Doby Bartling | 1945 | 3-6 | .333 | — |
| Red Sanders | 1940–1942 | 17-12-1 | .583 | — |
| Ray Morrison | 1935–1939 | 25-20-2 | .553 | — |
| Dan McGugin | 1919–1934 | 102-31-14 | .741 | — |
| Ray Morrison | 1918 | 4-2 | .667 | — |
| Dan McGugin | 1904–1917 | 95-24-5 | .786 | — |
| J.H. Henry | 1903 | 6-1-1 | .813 | — |
| W.H. Watkins | 1902 | 8-1 | .889 | — |
4 picks · 0 first-rounders
NFL Draft since 2020
20261 picks
- #54Eli StowersTight End · Philadelphia
20251 picks
- #251Julian AshbyLong Snapper · New England
20211 picks
- #54Dayo OdeyingboDefensive End · Indianapolis
20201 picks
- #76Ke'Shawn VaughnRunning Back · Tampa Bay