Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers made program history on Friday, becoming the first Commodore to win the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation’s top tight end.

Stowers led all tight ends this past season with 768 receiving yards on 62 catches, adding four touchdowns. The senior has yet to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft but is widely regarded as the top tight end prospect in the class. He is projected as a second-round pick on some boards and a third-rounder on others.

After transferring from New Mexico State University, Stowers produced 638 yards and five touchdowns on 49 receptions in 2024. This season, he set single-game career highs with 12 targets, 146 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in Vanderbilt’s narrow 34-31 loss to Texas.

Over his collegiate career, Stowers has totaled 146 receptions for 1,773 yards and 11 touchdowns, never averaging fewer than 10 yards per catch in a single season.

Recent John Mackey Award winners include Las Vegas Raiders’ Brock Bowers, Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride—who leads all current NFL tight ends in receiving yards and touchdowns while tying for the league lead with 93 receptions—and Baltimore Ravens’ All-Pro Mark Andrews, who recently signed a $39.3 million contract extension.