2023 Record: 2-10 (0-8)
AP Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Clark Lea
We said it last year, it’s tough to pick a team at the bottom typically, but Vanderbily makes that easy. Hopefully this year, they’ll at least look the part with finished construction at their stadium.
It’s been a tough enough off-season for the Commodores. They lost all three quarterbacks and almost every producing wide receiver to the portal. New OC, Tim Beck, brings in his former quarterback from New Mexico State, Diego Pavia. A name most won’t know quite yet, but will show up on highlight films often this season. He is the known commodity for this offense. The line and weapons remain to be seen and will mostly be by committee.
Defense is where Clark Lea will earn his paycheck. Known as a defensive mind, this unit has to be better this season. Some of the play comes down to depth, but they have to play smarter football. A season ago, they allowed a 47% conversion rate on third downs. Langston Patterson is back to patrol the middle of this defense, the rest is mostly up to transfers and players stepping into a starting role.
Vanderbilt won’t be making any noise this season, but they need to build a culture where players want to stay. The portal is too harsh for programs like Vandy. Lea needs to show some promise so he can provide stability for a staff who is fighting tooth and nail for their talent to stay.
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