NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football is in a new era under head coach Clark Lea as it moves forward after a program-best 10-3 season, but does so while replacing star quarterback Diego Pavia and star tight end Eli Stowers.Lea and company believe that the program can move forward as winners, though, and the amount of experience they bring back is at the forefront of the reasons why. Lea has the 34th most experienced offense in the country, the No. 4 defense in the country, is No. 2 in game experience in the country and No. 12 in returning starts. “Just in terms of quality depth, I mean, this is probably the best team we've had,” Lea told Vandy on SI. “Obviously, we have some big gaps to fill, and some of those gaps were our production leaders from a year ago, but I like this team. I like where we are.” This Vanderbilt team doesn’t appear to have the elite names at the top of the roster that Lea’s 2025 team did, but he believes he’s got a capable group at every level. In Vandy on SI’s top 20 players list, all three phases will be represented, as well as every offensive and defensive position group. No. 16: Jordan MatthewsTennessee wide receiver Braylon Staley (14) tries to hold off Vanderbilt cornerback Jordan Matthews (6) during an NCAA college football game on Nov. 29, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesMatthews already won the hearts of Vanderbilt’s fanbase with this comment in regard to the Tennessee rivalry:“I embrace the fact that I’m on the other side of it and now the winning side of it,” Matthews said. “It's actually been pretty cool. Definitely some of my guys back at Tennessee like to give me some stuff for it and then some people here are giving me some stuff for it, too. But I feel like it's a nice rivalry. It's deep and rich.”Matthews is a Tennessee transfer that hasn’t seen the field as much as he’d probably like, but his time has come and Vanderbilt’s staff appears to believe that he’s in line for a big step forward. Why No. 16? Matthews had some of the best individual games of any Vanderbilt corner in 2025, now it’s time for him to start stacking them up.It appears as if Matthews is in for a starting role and could easily build off of a season in which he was one of Vanderbilt’s most highly graded defensive players. It appears as if the 17 tackle mark that he hit in 2025 could be transcended by the midpoint of the season. Follow us onTwitter/X,Facebook,YouTube,Instagram,ThreadsandBlue Skyfor the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow