Vanderbilt football's Eli Stowers will return to Vanderbilt for the 2025 season instead of declare for the NFL draft, he said.

First-team All-SEC tight end Eli Stowers told ESPN that he plans to return to Vanderbilt for the 2025 season. Stowers said he thought "a lot" about the NFL, as he was projected as a midround draft pick, but he stayed because "we're building something special" at Vanderbilt.

First-team All-SEC tight end Eli Stowers will return to Vanderbilt for the 2025 season instead of heading to the NFL. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound senior began his career at Texas A&M (2021-22), played at New Mexico State in 2023 and transferred to the Commodores in 2024.

The Vanderbilt football program got a huge boost Thursday with the news that tight end Eli Stowers will return for the 2025 season. Stowers, the first Vandy offensive player to earn first-team All-SEC honors since 2013, could have chosen either to make himself available for the NFL Draft or to enter the NCAA transfer portal.