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.

It’s been a while since Vanderbilt had this blend of skill position talent back, though there are some departures to replace as well. Quarterback AJ Swann returns, as do the team’s three leading receivers, totaling just shy of 1,500 yards receiving.

More than anything, though, Lea is encouraged by the growth.

Vanderbilt a young, developing team

The good news is that with youth comes opportunity, and plenty of promising young players will get their chance to show Clark Lea what they can do this spring.

Clark plans to give everyone ample opportunity to prove himself this spring.

One thing the now third-year Vanderbilt coach wants to see is a competitive spirit and players pushing each other for jobs, even if not everything clicks into place right away.

“These guys need time to grow, but if we keep building into them and keep pulling it out of them every day that they’re going to get there,” Lea said. “We feel like we have a young, talented team that through continued investment and development we feel like we can be pretty competitive when it comes time for the fall.”