NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt football has named its team captains for the 2026 season, led by Issa Ouattara, Nick Rinaldi, Cole Spence and Mahkilyn Young, E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Football Clark Lea announced on Saturday afternoon.
Ouattara, who will be serving his second year as a team captain, missed the 2025 season due to injury. During the 2024 campaign, he played in all 13 games and made 10 starts for the black and gold while recording 31 total stops including five behind the line of scrimmage. Out of Cologne, Germany, Ouattara has made 48 tackles (6½ for loss) with 2½ sacks in 34 career appearances for the Dores, also recovering one fumble and breaking up four passes. The defensive lineman was named preseason fourth-team All-SEC by Phil Steele.
Rinaldi, a nominee for the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team, became the first Commodore to be named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2025 after seeing action in all 13 games for the Dores last season. Originally from Dover, Massachusetts, Rinaldi was credited with 3½ sacks, a pass broken up and team-leading nine quarterback hits. Named to the Hampshire Honor Society and the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team, Rinaldi made 47 tackles, including seven for a loss.
Spence, a first-time captain, appeared in all13 contests for Vandy in 2025, making 10 starts. Out of Roswell, Georgia, he caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime to defeat Auburn and posted a career-high five receptions for 56 yards and a score in the Commodores’ win over No. 10/10 LSU last season. Spence concluded the year with 15 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns.
Young recorded 46 carries for 414 yards and six touchdowns to rank third on the team in rushing his first season as a Dore, with his average of 9.0 yards per attempt best on the squad among student-athletes with 10 or more rushes. The native of Midland, Texas—who also contributed 14 receptions for 133 yards out of the backfield—led Vandy with 95 yards and a score on just eight attempts in its victory at Virginia Tech, while he had an 80-yard touchdown run to give the Commodores a third-quarter lead in their win over No. 15/14 Missouri. The senior posted 85 yards on only six carries in a defeat of No. 10/10 LSU, including a 43-yard run in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory, and he carried twice for 64 yards and a score in the program’s Georgia State win as well.
The program will also be led by a group of 11 student-athletes who will serve on the leadership council, including: Sedrick Alexander, Blaze Berlowitz, Miles Capers, Bryce Cowan, CJ Heard, Martel Hight, Ricardo Jones, Bryan Longwell, Cade McConnell, Junior Sherrill and Brock Taylor.
Vanderbilt will open the 2026 campaign with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Austin Peay at FirstBank Stadium on Sept. 5. It’s the first of three straight home contests for the Commodores before the start of SEC play.