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For most of the 2025 college football season, the Vanderbilt were one of the biggest stories in the sport not named Indiana. But now that the 2026 NFL draft has come and gone, the Commodores' historic season seems to ring a little more hollow.

By just about every metric 2025 was a success that most college football teams would dream of. They went 10-2 in the regular season, with four of those wins coming against teams that were ranked at the time, were ranked as high as No. 9 at one point and finished the season ranked in the top-15 for the first time since 1948.

But while Vanderbilt fans will look back on the year with fondness for a long time, in the grand scheme of things it may not have meant much.

They did not reach the College Football Playoff, they didn't win their bowl game, their Heisman Trophy finalist QB went undrafted and only one player on the entire team (tight end Eli Stowers) was drafted at all.

Diego's Downfall

While not a huge surprise to fans and analysts who expected it to happen, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia going undrafted has to be a morale gut-punch to the team. Pavia came closer than any player in Vanderbilt history to winning the Heisman Trophy, and all he got for his efforts was to become the first player in over a decade to go undrafted after getting invited to NYC for the Heisman Trophy award ceremony.

Even as of writing Pavia hasn't been able to find a roster spot as an undrafted free agent. As the hours go by and more teams fill their remaining training camp rosters, it becomes increasingly possible that Pavia simply doesn't have a future in the NFL.

But perhaps the biggest disappointment that Vanderbilt fans might feel amid all of this is a pretty strong sense that 2025 is about as good as it gets. The likelihood that they'll be able to match last year's highs, even with a strong recruiting class, is pretty low.

Their schedule for 2026 already includes Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee - and that's just the teams that are expected to be good.

Of all the teams in college football that are in line to fall off in 2026, Vanderbilt has to be close to the top of the list.

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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 5:59 PM.