Vanderbilt Commodores Football Offseason Preview

The Vanderbilt Commodores have rarely tasted high-level success in recent seasons. Their program is regularly at or near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference in part because the academic requirements at the school are more strict than at the other 13 SEC member institutions, but also because Vanderbilt has not invested all that much in football. The Commodores have one of the smaller, older, less modernized stadiums in the SEC. They don’t draw huge numbers of fans to their games; visiting teams often bring just as many fans as VU does, if not more. The results show on the field, and they did last year. First-year head coach Clark Lea went 2-10 with a very undermanned, underequipped roster. It wasn’t Lea’s doing. He inherited the mess previous head coach Derek Mason left behind. Lea went 0-8 in the SEC in his first season as a collegiate head coach. He saw what needed to be done. Now we get to find out if Lea can apply the lessons needed to lift the Commodores to a higher level.

Key Personnel Lost

There are very few key players or coaches Vanderbilt lost, because last year was a total disaster and hardly any players or coaches proved to be absolutely indispensable to the program. The one exception to this was offensive tackle Tyler Steen, who transferred to Alabama and gave the Crimson Tide an important new piece on their offensive line. For the most part, this will be a year in which we can better identify the players who need to go and those who should stay. We’ll get a better sense of which players can provide real solutions for this program, the kinds of players Vanderbilt cannot afford to let go of in the transfer portal.

Important Incoming Freshmen

Ja’Dais Richard, a safety, previously committed to TCU but flipped to the Commodores. Jayden McGowen is a receiver who will increase this team’s speed on the perimeter. These are two solid additions, part of a surprisingly strong recruiting class Lea hopes will begin to engineer a transformation in Vanderbilt football. You might not see the fruits of this transition in 2022, but the process could certainly take a big step forward and lead to bigger things in 2023.

Key Position Battles

The Vanderbilt offense was a total mess in 2021, scoring just 189 points in 12 games for an average of just under 16 points per game. Vanderbilt needs dramatic upgrades at various position groups on its offense. The offensive line is likely the top priority, but every group needs improvement and development. There is no one group which is “set” or in an ideal position, so there should be essential competitions for every offensive roster spot, or something close to it.

Biggest Offseason Goal(s)

Vanderbilt is not going to be a bowl team this year, but its recruiting class offers real hope for the future. The Commodores simply need to develop players and watch them grow so that they will be ready to make a bowl game in 2023. That’s the long-term plan at Vanderbilt.