Clark Lea says Jake Ketschek suffered torn ACL, will undergo surgery

Vanderbilt football was hit with some bad news coming out of spring practice on Tuesday. Commodores coach Clark Lea announced that offensive lineman Jake Ketschek suffered a torn ACL on the first day of practice and will have surgery.

As a result, the junior will miss the start of the 2023 season, but still has hope of returning later in the year.

“He’s got an ACL injury and will have surgery,” Lea said. “We’ll expect him back as we’re heading toward the end of the season and into bowl prep. He had a great winter and really stepped into a starting role last fall, too. I thought he performed well and he’ll be back.

“Unfortunately for him, it was kind of a freak thing. He popped it there early on in the first day of practice. But he’ll be back and he’s got a good mindset. We’ll be excited for him to go through this recovery and be back stronger.”

Ketschek joined the Commodores in 2021 as the No. 119 offensive tackle according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He did not play in his freshman year before appearing in five games and starting the final three contests in 2022.

Ketschek did not allow a sack, QB hit, hurry or get flagged for a penalty on 212 total snaps last season. Vanderbilt finished 2-1 in the three starts that he made and had a 5-7 record overall.

The Commodores offensive line ranked 19th in the country last season with a sack rate of 3.7%. With the loss of Jake Ketschek to the ACL injury, they’ll hope others can step up as they aim for their first winning season since 2013.

Vanderbilt is scheduled to host its annual spring game on April 8.

Clark Lea says young players are progressing ‘very well’

The Vanderbilt football team won five games and nearly earned bowl eligibility in coach Clark Lea‘s second season in 2022, and the Commodores will be out for even more next fall. And young players need to be ready.

As the team goes through spring practice the key is getting younger players to get comfortable with larger roles. So far, so good, said Lea, asked how the younger guys are doing.

“Very well. I guess we’re three practices in, one in pads, so there’s a lot to be defined,” Lea said. “It’s fun to see (Jeffrey Ugochukwu), it’s fun to see Trudell Berry, Daveon Walker has made some plays here early. Gamarion Carter, who didn’t play for us last year.”

Those are a few of the young players that should help Clark Lea and Vanderbilt take the next step forward, assuming they can take the next step in their development as players this spring.