Bryan Longwell, Sedrick Alexander, Richie Hoskins, Yilanan Ouattara, Randon Fontenette, Langston Patterson, Martel Hight and Diego Pavia each took the podium on Monday to discuss the offseason and the season ahead. After a stellar 2024 campaign, in which the Commodores went 7-6, expectations remain high in head coach Clark Lea’s fifth season at the helm of Vanderbilt Football.
Among all the players’ comments, there was a shared belief that the Commodores are a stronger and better team than last year. No player is more pivotal to this transformation than Pavia.
“I feel like I’m just a born winner,” Pavia said. “[If] you look at every year I’ve ever played football, I’m [going to] find a way to win.”
Pavia’s fellow teammates also stressed his importance to the team. His impact as a leader cannot be overstated, and his undeniable confidence inspires his team.
“He’s the ultimate competitor, and that’s what everybody loves about him,” Hoskins said. “All he cares about is winning, and you can put a lot of trust in a guy like that. Whatever you see on the media, you only see a glimpse of it all, but I can assure you one thing, he’s the ultimate competitor.”
Pavia’s years of football experience also allow him to be the perfect mentor for any player, regardless of position.
“[Pavia] helps me a lot,” Alexander said. “If I get lost or something, he knows everything because he’s the quarterback. He’s supposed to know each and everything from every position on the field.”
The rest of the offense is still trying to click into form ahead of its season opener on August 30 against Charleston Southern. Notably, at SEC Media Day, Lea announced that Hight would play in all three phrases: defense, offense and special teams. Hight touched on these position changes in his presser.
“This year, I brought it to [the coaching staff’s] attention, and they decided to move forward with it,” Hight said of the change to play both offense and defense. “It’s all about learning the game, getting the film, and [making] the game slow down for you. That extra time in the media room helps a lot.”
Hoskins has also emerged as a veteran leader in the wide receiver room, and he expects this core to make big strides in 2025. Despite the loss of top receiver Quincy Skinner Jr. after last season, Hoskins emphasized that there’s still plenty of formidable options for Pavia to throw to.
“There’s a bunch of dogs in the room,” Hoskins said. “There are some new guys coming in, like Kayleb Barnett. I’ve never seen somebody as fast and as quick as he is. There’s going to be a lot of dispersion of the ball. You’re going to see a lot of different guys touch the ball this season.”
Hoskins has emerged not only as a top target for Pavia but a leader to the entire wide receiver core. He believes he’s giving back to the program through his investment in younger players.
“Since the young guys have gotten here, being a mentor for them has been one of the biggest things that the older guys in the room, such as myself, Junior [Sherrill], Martel [Hight] and Tristan Brown, take a lot of pride in,” Hoskins said.
The defense has also become a stronger unit this offseason, as the defensive line has put on significant muscle and weight while the secondary has added several key depth pieces.
“We’re super deep [on] defense,” Longwell said. “We are returning like 80% of our production from last year. All the guys who may not have started [last year], all of them are stepping up.”
Longwell and Patterson will be two key pieces in the linebacker room, and they aren’t shying away from some internal competition. Both being from Nashville and rival high schools, they’re making each other better each day.
“[Patterson] will do anything and anything to win. So, he’s kind of instilled that [in me], because I hate to lose him,” Longwell said.
The defensive line has also bulked up according to the coaches, but Ouattara has seen huge improvements in technical skill for the position group.
“We’ve got a lot of athletic potential and guys who know how to rush the passer,” Ouattara said. “That’s been a main area of focus to us [which] as a defense [is] improving on third down. I feel like we’ve taken major steps in that.”
There was a consistent message across all the player interviews: this team has improved since 2024. From physical to skill development, there’s no lack of internal belief that Vanderbilt Football can compete on the biggest stages in college football.
“We just have so much belief in ourselves, and that’s all it takes, it’s just belief,” Pavia said.
Vanderbilt takes on Charleston Southern on Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. CDT.
