Newsstand: Details on former Notre Dame DC Clark Lea’s extension at Vanderbilt
Clark Lea spent four seasons at Notre Dame as an assistant coach. He joined the Fighting Irish in 2017 to serve as linebackers coach under then-defensive coordinator Mike Elko. He was elevated to defensive coordinator — a post that Lea held for three seasons — after Elko left to work at Texas A&M.
Lea, a Vanderbilt alum, took over as the Commodores head coach for 2021, and his squad went 2-10 that year. Vanderbilt showed much improvement in 2022, finishing the year 5-7, including victories over Kentucky and Florida.
And headed into year three, Lea signed a contract extension to remain at Vanderbilt for the foreseeable future. The university didn’t specify the length of the extension, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that its for three additional years, which will take Lea through the 2029 in Nashville.
“Vanderbilt is home, it is such an honor for me to lead our football program,” Lea said in a press release. “The only way that we accomplish the mission we have set forth for Vanderbilt Football is with the vision and support from Chancellor Diermeier and Candice Lee. To have them acknowledge the progress we’ve made to this point, and to commit to seeing us push further on our journey means everything to me.
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“Like everyone who is a part of our team, I will work to earn it every day, and recognize the great responsibility I have with the incredible opportunity and support I’ve been given. I also want to thank the members of our program, both student-athletes and staff. Their hard work and sacrifice is what allows for progress in our quest to build a program that makes all of Vanderbilt and Nashville proud.”
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Quote of the day
“I gotta give a shoutout to our corners coach, Mike Mickens, who’s now with us [in the same role] at Notre Dame. He was the guy that stood on the table for Sauce [Gardner]. … Mickens was the one who said, ‘This is the guy we gotta go after.’”
— Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
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