Vanderbilt Defense Brings Energy and Purpose to Spring Practice
Vanderbilt Defense Looks to Set the Tone Early
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Day two of Vanderbilt Commodores spring football practice took place on Thursday at the McGugin Practice Fields, and it was the defense once again that caught my attention. The Dores were flying around and displaying a lot of energy. I believe this group will surprise doubters this year.
Last season the Commodores finished middle of the pack in the SEC with 31 sacks as a team, and 13th in the conference with just 8 interceptions, with four of those coming from Martel Hight.
In watching Vanderbilt practice for two days now, Steve Gregory’s defense looks to have the fire, speed, and aggressiveness to cause teams trouble in 2026. I know it is just spring, but this is where teams begin to shape their identities for the upcoming season, and I like what I see from all three levels.
Gregory saw exactly what anyone watching saw, a group going full speed with purpose and excitement to put in the work.
“They were playing fast. They’re believing in each other, communicating at a high level, trusting the system and the way they’re being coached,” Gregory said. “When you do that and you get to fly around and have some fun, it builds play after play after play, and you kind of snowball things that way.”
The Commodores have returning leaders in guys such as CJ Heard, Martel Hight, Jordan Matthews, Bryan Longwell, and Nick Rinaldi who are setting the tone for what is to come this fall. They also did a great job in the portal and added some pieces throughout the defense, such as Michael Diatta, CJ Jackson, Cobey Sellers, and Ricardo Jones, providing great depth that should give the Commodores the ability to stay pretty fresh on Saturdays.
I asked Gregory what he’s seen from Ricardo Jones so far, and he had nothing but great things to say about him.
“He’s been great. You know, he’s an instinctual football player, really understands the game, has a really good feel for navigating the field, especially on the back end. You saw him make some plays out there today,” said Gregory. “He’s a communicator. He’s a team guy, you know, the guys gravitate towards him, and he’s a pretty good leader. So I’ve been very pleased with him so far, and we’ll continue to go and continue to progress him within our defense.”
As for continuity in the linebacker room, Gregory is feeling good about what this group can do. With Langston Patterson now gone to graduation, Rinaldi is ready to step into a bigger role as both a player and a voice.
“I want to step into more of a leadership role this year. I’ve been more of a lead-by-example kind of guy in the past, so I’m just trying to be more of a vocal leader on the defense,” Rinaldi said.
Rinaldi spoke about what that continuity means for the defense as a whole heading into the fall, and coming into the second season under Gregory’s leadership.
“More of the returning guys know what we’re doing quicker into the spring, so we can get into higher-level stuff sooner, which is really beneficial for the defense,” he said. “You can probably see it in how fast we’ve been playing.”
Cornerback Jordan Matthews is embracing that same mindset. In his second year with the program, Matthews has clearly bought in on every level, and he had some of the most telling words of the day when asked about the direction of this defense.
“We’re definitely changing our culture,” Matthews said. “Last year we sparked that with Diego making plays on the offensive side of the ball and us making turnovers on our side. This year we really want to ramp it up, start creating more turnovers, and spark more energy.”
Matthews also spoke to his own individual goals heading into his second season in Nashville. Last season, he finished with zero interceptions in 13 games of action. In 2026, he’s looking to change that. When asked by Alaina Morris how he is looking to grow personally this year, he is looking to get the ball out of the sky.
“At the corner position, a lot of guys don’t take that lightly. I feel like going up and catching that ball is really going to separate me from the pack, especially in the SEC, going against top talent each and every week.”
Defensive Coordinator Steve Gregory has good confidence in what is to come this season, and so do the players. Gregory was clear when asked what he needs to see from this group between now and August.
“It’s about continuous improvement with techniques, fundamentals, and scheme,” he said. “I want to see our guys come together and execute at a high level, communicate, play together, and continue to build off the things we did well last year.”
Vanderbilt averaged just over 31 minutes a game in time of possession last season. While time of possession could be contributed heavily to a certain style of offense, what really helps that is a defense that knows how to get their offense back on the field.
Today, in hearing from Gregory, Matthews, and Rinaldi after practice, the belief in not only the defense, but Vanderbilt as a whole continues to be something Vanderbilt faithful should be fired up hearing.
Matthews summed it up best when asked about the outside noise surrounding the program after losing stars, Diego Pavia and Eli Stowers.
“As a team, we’re one. This year it’s still unity just like last year, and we still have playmakers who are going to pop their heads out of the grass. As a team, we’re all growing. It’s going to be the same thing as last year. We’re still going to make plays, we’re still going to be at the top of the SEC, and we’re going to be a great team.”
