Clark Lea provides update on quarterback battle timeline entering summer

The Vanderbilt Commodores football program recently wrapped up its spring off-season and is now heading into the summer portion of its preparation for the 2024 season. Commodores head coach Clark Lea still has plenty to figure out before Vanderbilt’s season opener against the Virginia Tech Hokies on August 31.

One of the things Lea still has to do, and arguably one of the more essential tasks, is name Vanderbilt’s starting quarterback for next season. And before the team went away for its summer break, come with the Commodores head coach provided some perspective on his timeline for the quarterback battle.

“It’s set up to continue on through the summer and into fall camp. I was pleased today with the fact that we didn’t turn the ball over; that’s something we’ve harped on all spring,” said Lea. “I think it was on the ground once and the offense was able to recover it. All three guys have flashed obviously I felt like Blaze (Berlowitz) had some throws today that were impressive. But yeah, we’re gonna introduce some new people in that competition heading into the summer. We’ll open it back up in the fall.”

“One thing that I want to have happened there early is to lock in on some guys that we’re going to give the lion share of the reps. Because ultimately, we’re not going to be able to have five people compete for one job. We have to set it up so that you’re looking at three; three becomes two. And then, ultimately, by the time we’re playing, two becomes one.”

Berlowitz looks to have the inside track for the Commodores’ starting quarterback position. However, it does not appear that he has done enough to solidify himself as the season-opener starter. As of now, Lea still has his options open when it comes to answering that question, and it appears he might be looking to add a few more individuals to the equation.

Lea adds WR Dariyan Wiley

Lea recently added to the Commodores’ offense with another off-season acquisition. Former UMass and ULM wide receiver Dariyan Wiley committed to Vanderbilt just before the summer. While Wiley played sparingly at UMass, only catching three passes for 14 receiving yards, he had more opportunities with the Warhawks of ULM, where he caught 40 passes for 534 receiving yards over three seasons, bringing in three touchdowns.

Wiley played high school football at Douglas County (GA), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 1828 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.