Vanderbilt’s offensive line took yet another hit because of coronavirus opt outs as coach Derek Mason announced that Michigan graduate transfer Stephen Spanellis has said he would sit out this season.

That adds to the list of Cole Clemens, Bryce Bailey and Jonathan Stewart already opted to sit out the 2020 season. Spanellis played multiple positions on the offensive line at Michigan but was primarily a guard. He is a graduate transfer originally from Baltimore, Maryland.

He played 37 career games for the Wolverines, and was expected to be at least a key contributor, and possibly a starter on the West End.

“Stephen decided to opt out, and for us, that’s another one of those pieces that you thought you may have had,” Mason told reporters via Zoom, per Vandy247. “But right now, for us, we’re just looking at our depth on the offensive line, and our young guys are getting better. When I look at our group right now, we’re sitting at about 12 offensive linemen. They’re athletic. Some of these guys are young. So when you start to look at how you’re gonna field this offensive line, we’re making some moves and I think you’re gonna be surprised at what you see. I can’t give it away right now, but I think as you look at how the depth starts to look over the next three or four weeks as we start pushing into fall camp, there’s gonna be a few surprises for you. Stay tuned.”

At least 5 players overall have opted out for Vanderbilt, but Mason said he doesn’t expect more to come.

“Right now, I think we’re pretty set with what we have,” Mason said. “Obviously, a student-athlete can opt out at any time. We do understand that everybody has something different going on, and I constantly remind our team of where we are and what we’re doing. In terms of opting out, I really don’t talk about it a ton, but I do talk about taking care of your body. Your body’s your job. If you have health concerns, let’s make sure we continue to address those. Everybody’s different, and I think we’ve got open dialogue.”