Vanderbilt Commodores: Post-spring stock report

With spring football in the rear view mirror, it’s time to fully embrace the Head Ball Coach’s “talkin’ season.” The transfer portal carousel has slowed, so while rosters aren’t totally finalized just yet, we at least have a sense of strong foundation for each SEC program. So let’s take a stock report for every team in the conference, examining their offense, defense and overall outlook heading into the 2022 season. 

Today we look at the Vanderbilt Commodores.

VANDERBILT OFFENSE —  STOCK HOLDING

Vandy had a Charles Barkley-esque “TURRIBLE” offense in 2021. The Vanderbilt Commodores were the worst Power 5 attack in the country, ranking last in almost every conceivable SEC category — scoring (15.8), yards per play (4.52), total offense (312.8), passing (189.3), third down (31.9%), explosiveness, etc. 

They had just 34 plays all season over 20 yards. Alabama wideout Jameson Williams had 20 such receptions by himself. 

So the offense has nowhere to go but up this fall right?

We’ll see. There’s more upside, but plenty of concerns remain. The unit should have a more united approach after a strange situation to start Year 1. Last season, head coach Clark Lea made the odd decision during training camp to yank play-calling duties away from his original coordinator David Raih and hand the responsibilities to Joey Lynch. While the move had the future in mind, Vandy looked completely absent of an identity for much of the season. That should be solved this fall. 

But there’s still real uncertainty at quarterback where Ken Seals and Mike Wright battled this spring. Most see Wright as the odds-on favorite to win the job due to his mobility playing behind a bad offensive line (with long-time left tackle Tyler Steen now off to Alabama to boot), but he’s not a long-term answer at the position. 

While Vandy’s offensive line isn’t expected to be much better this fall, it does have more skill-talent on the roster. 

The running back room of Re’Mahn Davis, Rocko Griffin and Patrick Smith is legitimately solid, with the latter showing some real tackle-breaking traits as a true freshman last season. Folks in Nashville are also excited about freshmen wideouts Jayden McGowan and Dave Walker — both of whom can run and challenge defenses vertically.  McGowan made a couple of big plays, including a touchdown, in the spring game. 

Will Sheppard and Devin Boddie are two veteran receivers, and the tight end room returns its top three players in terms of snaps. 

The wildcard for Vandy’s offense just might be freshman quarterback AJ Swann, an early-enrollee who can spin it. 

Swann was the highest-rated signee in Vandy’s class and had some “head-turning” moments during their spring game. Considering Lea saw what he had in Seals and Wright last season (13 combined touchdowns to 14 interceptions), it wouldn’t be a surprise if Swann became Vandy’s starter — either in Week 1 or later in the fall, betting on upside as the season progresses. 

VANDERBILT DEFENSE — STOCK UP

The Vanderbilt Commodores return seven starters off a defense that was truly bad in 2021, but thanks to some development and the addition of a pair of transfers (UConn corner Jeremy Lucien and Clemson linebacker Kane Patterson), there’s faith the unit should offer more resistance this fall. 

Some of the ‘Dores best players are back — leading returning tackler Anfernee Orji, top defensive linemen Daevion Davis and defensive backs Jaylen Mahoney and De’Rickey Wright — and freshmen like linebacker Daniel Martin, pass rusher Darren Agu and safeties Ja’Dais Richard and Savion Riley are all expected to find their way into the two-deep early. 

After years spearheading Notre Dame’s stout units, Lea’s defensive chops are unquestioned, so it’s about scheming around the talent he has on Vandy’s roster. The ‘Dores do have a trio of new defensive coaches, including a first-year coordinator in Nick Howell. Still, expect Lea to have a more hands-on approach in 2022. 

Vanderbilt was awful at creating havoc in last season, recording just nine sacks — worst among all FBS programs nationally — and just 52 total tackles for loss. That was a big emphasis this spring, as were simple fundamentals like tackling and positioning. 

2022 OVERALL OUTLOOK — STOCK HOLDING 

Last season was a particularly difficult transition season for Clark Lea, as the first-year head coach inherited a roster that was substandard — even by recent Commodores’ comparisons. Vandy lost its opener by 20 points to an FCS school and ended the season with the longest conference losing streak in the nation, dropping 21 straight SEC games since upsetting Missouri in October of 2019. 

But the Commodores were still playing hard in late November, giving Lea some confidence his dramatic culture shift was slowly taking shape. 

After signing one of its best recruiting classes in school history, Vandy enters the fall with a better, and notably faster, roster. But the ‘Dores are going to be very young in 2022, so more growing pains are in store. 

This was always going to be a long, painful rebuild. Even Lea mentioned a “10-year plan” when he was hired. With six preseason ranked teams on the schedule (Wake Forest, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Tennessee), Vandy’s win total is unlikely to change (2-9 season in 2021) but the Commodores should be more competitive. 

It’s at least a start.

On3’s SEC Stock Report Series:

Auburn Tigers

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Florida Gators

Georgia Bulldogs

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