Grayson Morgan, Anthony Miles injury updates: Clark Lea confirms medical retirement of linemen

The Vanderbilt Commodores have taken to the practice field for spring. Unfortunately, head coach Clark Lea was forced to do so without a key pair of offensive linemen, as Grayson Morgan and Anthony Miles were forced to medically retire due to injuries they’ve battled.

When Lea met with media members, he shared an injury update on the pair. There, he confirmed that the pair had injuries that forced them to step away from playing football.

“They retired,” Clark Lea said. “So, both have dealt with back injuries. We always want to — I recruited both of them with big visions for their football careers. Both are such positive members of our football community and I can’t say enough about the people.”

Grayson Morgan came to Vanderbilt as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was a three-star recruit and the 48th-ranked offensive tackle nationally in that recruiting cycle. Going into the 2024 season, Morgan was already dealing with his back injury that dated back to the 2023 season, and at that time, Clark Lea had hoped it would only be a few months before he could return. He retires having played in eight career games, starting four of them.

For his part, Anthony Miles was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was a three-star recruit and the 70th-ranked offensive tackle nationally in that recruiting cycle. He never saw the field for Vanderbilt before his career was cut short.

“Selfishly, I want everyone to play and I want everyone to play for a long time, but I think when you start talking about your back and dealing with surgeries and just dealing with the struggle of trying to return and play this game, which in a way is taxing in and of itself, in collaboration with them and their families they’ve decided and we’ve decided it’s best for them to step away,” Lea said.

“So, they’re going to be missed. They’re still a part of who we are, and I want them to stay connected to our program, but it’s the right thing for them.”

In the offseason, Vanderbilt added four offensive linemen in their Transfer Portal class, including three offensive tackles. So, the Commodores have restocked along the line to try and make up for these losses. Still, the experience within Lea’s culture and alongside their Vanderbilt teammates has been lost due to those injuries.

Moving forward Clark Lea will hope to avoid any other key injuries throughout the offseason.