Vanderbilt parts ways with offensive coordinator Joey Lynch

Vanderbilt has parted ways with offensive coordinator Joey Lynch, The Vanderbilt Hustler reported. He just wrapped up his second season in the role.

Lynch initially joined Clark Lea’s staff in 2021 as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, but he moved up to offensive coordinator after the departure of David Raih. This past year, the Commodores ranked last in the SEC in total offense and 13th in scoring offense, averaging just 22.8 points per game — one point per contest better than Mississippi State.

Vanderbilt confirmed the decision in a press release, which included a statement from Lea.

“We had a season where our results and performance fell short of our expectations,” Lea said. “When that is the case, change is necessary. My background as a defensive coordinator will allow me to best serve our team by taking on that responsibility.”

“I’d like to thank Joey for his three years of dedication to our program. I wish him all the best in the future.”

Lea also made another shakeup to his coaching staff, demoting defensive coordinator Nick Howell. Lea — a former defensive coordinator at Notre Dame — will take over defensive coordinator responsibilities while Howell moves to defensive backs coach. Dan Jackson will move to an off-field role after serving as DBs coach.

Vanderbilt went 2-10 this past season, marking the second time in three years the Commodores finished with that record. In 2022, they finished 5-7 to just miss out on a bowl game.

The year ended with a loss to Tennessee — a 48-24 defeat. Heading into that game, Lea noted how tough the year has been and why he wanted to see the year end on at least a bit of a higher note.

“I think for us, though, we just were disappointed in the way that South Carolina game finished,” Lea said. “And I felt like the bye week was a good chance for us to kind of purge that from our system and reset our focus on having a great finish. Again, I think the guys have responded well. It’s a tough group and a resilient group.

“My message to them and really just telling the truth is putting the film in and saying, ‘Hey, this is where we’re not that far off.’ And it can feel like we’re a long way away, but it’s just a few things and how do we capture those margins that have been elusive to us this year? Again, this would be a great week for us to do that.”

After the year, Vanderbilt saw quarterbacks Ken Seals and AJ Swann announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal, meaning the Commodores will now have to find someone new to go under center. In addition, three other players — linebacker Ethan Barr, offensive tackle Barrett Maddox and defensive lineman Nate Clifton — announced their intentions to enter the portal.

Vanderbilt also got a commitment out of the portal already, landing Middle Tennessee State transfer EDGE Zaylin Woods earlier this week.