| Sport: | football |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Team: | Vanderbilt Commodores |
| Conference: | Southeastern Conference |
| Division: | Eastern Division |
| Short Conf: | SEC |
| Record: | 2–9 |
| Conf Record: | 0–8 |
| Head Coach: | Rod Dowhower |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Def Coach: | Woody Widenhofer |
| Dc Year: | 2nd |
| Stadium: | Vanderbilt Stadium |
The 1996 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Commodores were led by head coach Rod Dowhower in his second season and finished with a record of two wins and nine losses (2–9 overall, 0–8 in the SEC). The team played their home games at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.