In 2023, coach Clark Lea has not done enough to help Vanderbilt football develop in the way he intended, he said during his media appearance on Tuesday.
That team finished the season 2-10, with the two wins coming in the first two games of the season. The Commodores lost all of their games against Power Five opponents by double digits.
Virginia Tech, the Commodores’ opponent on Saturday, started 2-4 and lost to Rutgers, Purdue and Marshall before finishing 7-6. New Mexico State started 2-3 and finished 10-5. In addition to a number of sweeping offseason moves, Lea brought in former Aggies head coach Jerry Kill, offensive coordinator Tim Beck and quarterback Diego Pavia.
“A team that improves as the season goes on is a testament to a good coaching staff and I think that was a measure of my performance as head coach,” Lea said. “I thought last year it wasn’t because I didn’t try, I just never found the formula to get this group to perform beyond the level we did.”
Although improvement over the course of the season is a litmus test for Lea, 2024 begins with an important game right at the start. On Saturday (11 a.m. CT, ESPN), Vanderbilt will face a bowl team from last year, the Hokies. To have any hope of six wins, the Commodores will likely have to beat Virginia Tech.
The team also finished 2-10 in the 2021 season, Lea’s first. But Lea said he felt there was still hope at the end of that season, and in 2022, Vanderbilt started 3-6 before winning two games in November to move to 5-7 – albeit with a crushing loss to Tennessee at the end.
“If I had to describe one disappointment I experienced, aside from the painful results last season, it would be that I didn’t do enough to change our program,” Lea said. “And it just felt like we could never get the team to perform to the level we were proud of, and that really hurt us. So I’m really excited for the start of the season. I would definitely like to get off to a great start, that would obviously be a lot of fun.”
Lea took over the role of defensive coordinator himself after firing Nick Howell. Lea said he enjoyed calling the defense himself the most. With Lea focusing more on defensive duties, Kill was named the de facto “head offensive coach,” with Beck calling the plays there.
It will be weeks or months before we really know how well Lea’s rebuild has worked, but as Lea knows, Saturday’s game against the Hokies will be a big indication of how 2024 will pan out.
DIEGO PAVIA How Vanderbilt football transfer Diego Pavia’s relentless competitive spirit landed in Nashville
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter. @aria_gerson.
