Vanderbilt football's remarkable 2025 season already seems to be a distant memory, at least nationally. Despite finishing 10-3 overall and No. 15 in the final AP Top 25 Poll, the Commodores will enter the 2026 season unranked in both the AP and the US LBM Coaches polls. Unranked, but noticeably unbothered. "Honestly, we're not worried about that as a group," senior cornerback Jordan Matthews said at McGugin Practice Field on Aug. 18. "We're really focused internally. Just how we're doing as a group, as a unit." Martel Hight, a senior cornerback who also returns punts, was more succinct. " 'F' the external, turn to the internal," Hight said.
Matthews and Hight are two of several returning defensive starters for Vanderbilt, along with C.J. Heard, Miles Capers, Nick Rinaldi and Bryan Longwell. Defensive end Brian Allen Jr., a graduate transfer from Iowa, is a key portal addition for defensive coordinator Steve Gregory's aggressive front. Though the Commodores did receive votes in both polls, it's likely Vanderbilt's offense giving preseason pollsters hesitation to put them in the top 25. Moving forward without Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia is a big challenge. They also must replace tight end Eli Stowers, wide receiver Tre Richardson, and nearly their entire offensive line from a year ago. Entering fall camp, Vanderbilt's quarterback battle continues between returning backup Blaze Berlowitz and top recruit Jared Curtis. Berlowitz knows how to run the offense and has looked consistent in camp. Curtis is Vanderbilt's highest-ever recruit, infamously stolen away from Georgia in December. ESTES: On Jared Curtis, Blaze Berlowitz and an obvious QB decision that isn't for Vandy However it plays out, the Commodores know the challenge ahead. Returning to the land of ranked college football teams requires attention to detail and also ignoring the distractions. "Coach (Clark) Lea always preaches it to us. He's not even on social media, he doesn't deal with any of that stuff," Matthews said. "We haven't really been on our phones during fall camp, so we're just focused on us. How we can grow as a team." Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com, follow him on X at@alexdaugherty1 or check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Vanderbilt football is reacting to not being ranked in AP, coaches polls