Clark Lea provides update on De’Rickey Wright after Week 1 injury

While Vanderbilt fans celebrated the team’s 47-13 win over Alabama A&M on Saturday, safety De’Rickey Wright’s condition lingered in the back of their minds. After the win, head coach Clark Lea gave a positive update on Wright’s injury.

“He’s OK. He was able to return to the game. We just felt like the best thing was for him to not get out there,” Clark said during the postgame press conference. “That doesn’t mean he’s not going to be sore tomorrow and that doesn’t mean we’re not going to have to have a plan for him to return.

“I expect him to be back, as I’m talking to you now. We’ll reassess tomorrow and plot our course forward, but it was nothing major. He’ll be day-to-day and we’ll see what he can handle this week in preparation.”

Wright went down in the first quarter after making a stop on third down in the Commodores’ territory. While Wright was able to walk off the field on his own, he had an obvious limp. Wright went into the tunnel shortly after making it to the sideline.

Wright returned to the sideline but never reentered the game. Evidently, Wright’s fellow Commodores could pick up his slack. Vanderbilt’s defense gave up just 278 yards to Alabama A&M while recording an interception.

De’Rickey Wright’s jaw-dropping Week 0

If Wright was on the field, the Bulldogs likely would have faced even more heartache. The 6-foot-4 senior was fantastic in Vanderbilt’s season-opening victory over Hawaii on Aug. 26. In the triumph, Wright boasted two picks, a forced fumble and three tackles.

For his outstanding efforts, Wright was named the Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week. After the Commodores’ Week 0 victory, Lea praised his veteran defensive back.

“De’Rickey is a playmaker,” Lea said. “He’s a long, rangy, athletic guy and has really grown as he’s spent another year in the system. Both picks, obviously, were huge. The one in the endzone took points off the board for them and, obviously, the one that sealed the end of the game meant everything to us.

“I’m happy for him and proud of him. I thought there were strong plays for him in other areas, too. It’s a good start for him, for sure. I’m sure he’ll be looking to build on it.”

Hopefully, for Vanderbilt’s sake, Wright will be able to build on it sooner rather than later. The Commodores will face a tough test in Week 2 against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were dominant in Week 1, comfortably defeating Elon 37-17.

The two programs will square off on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.