Former Vanderbilt QB reportedly returning to program after multiple transfer stops
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Former Vanderbilt quarterback Walter Taylor is apparently now a current Vandy quarterback again, completing a full-circle whirlwind.
On3’s Pete Nakos reported on Wednesday afternoon that Taylor has decided to transfer back to the program where he originally signed coming out of high school. This would technically be Taylor’s 4th stop on his long and crazy college journey, which started at Vanderbilt in the 2022 recruiting cycle and continued with transfer stops at Colorado and Ball State.
Taylor will have one more season of eligibility this fall, and he’ll reportedly spend that season at the place where it all began — Nashville. The 6-foot-5, 241-pound product of Jackson High in Alabama would find himself back in SEC country after things did not work out at Colorado or Ball State.
With star quarterback Diego Pavia out of eligibility at Vanderbilt, head coach Clark Lea is looking for a signal-caller who can fill the huge void in 2026.
But there is a twist to all of this with Taylor heading back to Vandy. A little over a month ago, Taylor took to his social media account and posted that he was entering the portal as an athlete, at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, which are both bigger listings than what is listed in his 247Sports bio.
Taylor’s social media post also included video of him catching passes, not throwing them, so the plot thickens now as to what role Taylor would be filling at Vanderbilt in 2026.
It’s been a rough road for Taylor when it comes to playing time. He hasn’t played a down in college football since appearing in 5 games during the 2023 season as a sophomore at Vandy. Even then Taylor only got limited action as a backup quarterback.
That lack of playing time the first time around at Vanderbilt started the whirlwind that has reportedly landed him back at Vandy for the 2026 season. Taylor transferred to Colorado before the 2024 season but didn’t see the field that fall as he sat behind star quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Then it was off to Ball State for the 2025 season, but the depth chart was once again Taylor’s enemy there and his frustration continued. Now, he’s back in a very familiar place to try to end that frustration once and for all and earn some quality playing time — at whatever position that might be.
Taylor would be the 14th transfer that Vanderbilt has signed during this portal cycle.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
