Vanderbilt football will be without the top tight end in the country, Eli Stowers, when the No. 12 Commodores close out their season at the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Stowers, who received the 2025 John Mackey Award given to the top tight end in the country is opting out of the bowl where Vanderbilt (10-2) plays Iowa (8-4) on Dec. 31 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN), according to CBS Sports.
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A Vanderbilt spokesperson reached out to by The Tennessean did not have knowledge of the report. Two other sources have not responded to the newspaper.
Stowers, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete, caught 62 passes for 769 yards — both team highs — and had four TDs in 2025. In two seasons at Vanderbilt, Stowers had 111 catches for 1,407 yards with nine TDs. Stowers rise to becoming the best tight end in college football was an interesting journey. It started at Texas A&M, where he was recruited to play quarterback.
He later transferred to New Mexico State, where he met Diego Pavia and became one of Pavia’s favorite targets.
Stowers also was named the William V. Campbell Trophy recipient as the top student athlete in college football. He was also named a unanimous All-American.
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If Stowers is out of the lineup, Pavia will lean on wide receivers Junior Sherrill, Tre Richardson and Richie Hoskins. Sherrill has 46 catches for 661 yards and seven TDs. Richardson has 40 catches for 679 yards and six TDs and Hoskins has 26 catches for 305 yards with three touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football tight end Eli Stowers to opt out of bowl game, per report
