Junior Sherrill is returning to Vanderbilt football and will be the undisputed No. 1 receiver in 2026, but there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding who will step up behind him.
Tre Richardson, who transferred to Louisville, and Richie Hoskins, who graduated, are both gone, requiring the Commodores to find more options. Wide receivers coach Alex Bailey said Aug. 7 that the team didn't necessarily have one player capable of taking the top off a defense the way Richardson did and may have to take more of a committee approach.
"It's along the lines of rotational depth," Bailey said. "Last year it was really easy for us to say, 'Hey, Tre, go do this,' just because he had the speed. I think now we've got multiple guys that can do it. ... Last year was just a little
bit easier, just because Tre was there. Now, not having him, it gives other people opportunities to get down the field."
There are a few top candidates for bigger roles already. The first is Ja'Cory Thomas, who has already made some big plays in preseason practice. The Old Dominion transfer has size that Vanderbilt has often lacked at the position at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds.
In 2025, Thomas made 41 catches for 719 yards and five touchdowns. His 17.5 yards per reception matched Richardson's total from a year ago, albeit against worse competition, and he previously attended the same Hutchinson Community College that Richardson did. Against national champion Indiana, he made two catches for 24 yards and impressed the Commodores' coaching staff.
"I'm pretty explosive," Thomas said. "I can run routes, I can get open. I feel like I can do everything on the field."
Then there's Tristen Brown, a junior. He hasn't seen a ton of targets over his first two years, but there's a reason for that: in 2025, he played through a stress fracture in his shin for most of the season. Healthy now, he believes he can take a step forward from his 10 catches for 137 yards that he put up in 2025.
"He's earned a right to be on the field," Bailey said of Brown. "He does a ton for us. He's a smart football player. He has really good ball skills. He's physical and he can run routes."
There are others who could get in the mix as well. Kayleb Barnett is one of the fastest players on the team and factored into both the rushing and receiving game as a freshman. Bailey said Brycen Coleman's transition from wide receiver to tight end has gone well after the 6-5 junior made just three catches in his first two seasons.
And Bailey noted a true freshman who has stood out as well: Kahden Smith. The 6-2 Alabama native was a relatively unheralded 3-star recruit, but he's already standing out to the coaching staff.
"Kahden Smith ... is going to play as hard as he can," Bailey said. "He's a guy that jumps out. He's not mistake-free, just like any other, but he doesn't let it affect him. ... He's always going to go 100%, whether it's drill work, whether it's an actual game."
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who steps into WR void for Vanderbilt football after Tre Richardson departure?
