Clark Lea of Vanderbilt football was named the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, the first Commodores coach to win a national award.

With plenty of time to build up the anticipation, the storylines for the Iowa Hawkeyes versus the Vanderbilt Commodores are already growing.

The Southeastern Conference released its 2026 football season schedule on Thursday night. With that, the Vanderbilt Commodores’ 2026 schedule is now complete. In September, the SEC announced it would be moving to a nine-game conference schedule starting in 2026 with each team having three annual opponents,

Vanderbilt Commodores rank 14th in the College Football Playoff standings with a 10-2 record after beating Tennessee, as they await Selection Day for a potential playoff spot.

The Vols, along with Auburn and Mississippi State, are the three opponents that will be on the Commodores' schedule every year. Vanderbilt will also face Arkansas in 2026 for the first time since 2018. In the SEC's new scheduling format, teams will face their non-permanent opponents once every other year.

Vanderbilt football’s coaching staff could take a hit this offseason. Vanderbilt football senior offensive advisor Jerry Kill has been speculated to possibly retire at the end of the season, according to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.

The Vanderbilt football coach on Tuesday was named the 2025 Eddie Robinson national coach of the year, presented by the Football Writers Association of America and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. He will receive a bust of the late Robinson — a College Football Hall of Fame coach at Grambling for 55 years — at a reception in Miami on Jan. 17, 2026.

Eli Stowers, the standout Vanderbilt football tight end, was named the winner of the Mackey Award for the nation's best tight end on Dec. 12.

Vanderbilt QB Jérémy St-Hilaire ( @Jay_StHilaire12) plans to enter the portal, a source tells @247Sports. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound freshman held an 87 rating in the 2024 class. Picked Vanderbilt over interest from Penn State and Wake Forest out of HS. https://t.co/oXfR9zLWcJ pic.twitter.com/QBzGPPf9nL