I've seen my last practice of fall camp due to personal commitments but I think I've seen enough to offer some thoughts.

How I see the depth chart:

1. Diego Pavia
2. Nate Johnson
3. Drew Dickey
4. Blaze Berlowitz
5. Jeremy St. Hilaire
6. Whit Muschamp

Overall thoughts:
I was disappointed in what I saw on the whole. To be clear, it wasn't all on the quarterbacks. Sometimes they didn't have a lot of time to throw and it's also not as if they had Randy Moss and Jerry Rice running wide open down the field at much of any time. But accuracy was an issue much of camp and there just wasn't much consistency in being able to sustain drives.
Now, if you're looking for reasons, I can give you others. It's a new system. New head coach of the offense (Jerry Kill), new coordinator (Tim Beck), and a system with tons of moving parts. It's a completely different offense. Pavia got there this summer. he's working with new linemen (who are learning under a new coach there, too). I feel like they rarely showed the same formation more than 2-3 plays in a row--and without being specific (you'll see it yourself in a week and a half) sometimes the looks they showed couldn't be much different from one play to the next. So sure, maybe there are reasons it didn't work great in fall camp and can get better. We'll see soon enough.
I think at this point, they have to roll with Pavia and hope it gets better. Maybe Nate Johnson gets better with time in terms of accuracy, but it's just not been there and it wasn't there at Utah. And I think they can find a spot for him with his legs here and there even if not.
The wild card to me is Drew Dickey. I thought he should have been the 3 leaving camp last year. He looked the best in the scrimmage last Saturday. He's not great at anything but he's solid at a lot of things. If all else fails, does Dickey get a shot? That feels like a long shot but I couldn't help leaving Saturday wondering about it a bit.
I'm sure Joey and Billy can add thoughts here.

Will hit running backs next but it may be this afternoon.

- Grayson Morgan, Christian James, Moni Jones, and Jeremiah Dillon were off to the side. That's something we can't gloss over. At this point last season, this team was dealing with too many soft-tissue injuries heading into week zero. This team is fairly healthy right now.

- Today was a big situational-type day with game week next week. Both sides of the ball came with some new pre-snap looks to confuse the other side. I think pre-snap eye candy will be a common theme on both sides of the ball this season. I'd say the offense won the day, which is a good sign.

- Nate Johnson had one of his better days, but was still inaccurate on the whole.

- Cole Spence has been catching a lot of balls. As y'all already know, he will be a frequent target this season. Pavia specifically loves throwing to him.

- Blaze Berlowitz made some good throws today, but I still think Dickey is the No. 3. Dickey has looked like the best QB on the team at times. He’s decisive with the football.

- Diego Pavia looked pretty sharp today. I'd say he had one of his better days. He was pretty accurate. He looked to have better chemistry with the receivers.

- Richie Hoskins caught a nice deep-ish ball down the sideline from Pavia. He was involved today. Loic Fouonji jumped up and some catches today as well.

- As I mentioned, the defense got even more creative with some different pre-snap looks today to try to confuse the offense. I thought Pavia handled them well. I am intrigued to see how much going up against Vandy's defense throughout fall camp will help Pavia in game action.

- Trudell Berry stood out today, he continues to improve.

- Tomorrow is Clark Lea's final availability before Tuesday of game week. Let me know if there's any questions.

WATCH:

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LISTEN:

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Anfernee balling with saints first team D. I’m sure Demario Davis isn’t playing and maybe some other pieces but has to bode well for him making the 53.⚓️⬇️

OFFENSE: (Joey)
- Diego Pavia continues to take ownership in the quarterback room. He's leading the room in a lot of ways.

- I still think Nate Johnson is the two but I have a hard time throwing out what Drew Dickey did Saturday. I think that's definitely the top three now.

- I didn't see Sedrick Alexander on the field, I believe that's got to do with class. Moni Jones was off to the side. Chase Gillespie is a guy that I wouldn't count out as the two or three, they seem to be optimistic there. I'm starting to see Gillespie more here.

- The big story at receiver today is Dariyan Wiley's return. He's not going to be a world-beater and I didn't see him separating himself today but he'll certainly be a story to watch the rest of the way. They need a third guy and they may need more than that. He's a little smaller than I originally thought. Nothing super new in that room otherwise. Quincy Skinner made a play and so did Junior Sherrill. Jeremiah Dillon is still off to the side.

- Kam Johnson is starting to get more involved. Think he's still the three. Cole Spence did some Cole Spence things again today. Still no sign of Tyler Fortenberry. Wonder if we hear something there soon.

-The offensive line is still the place I'm most interested the rest of the way. Interested to see how that ends up. I think they're higher on Kevo Wesley than most are, I wonder about how much we see Steven Hubbard. That could be the group that we're not sure about who they trot out the morning of August 31.

DEFENSE: (Billy)
- I don't have a ton from today. They mixed and matched a lot at certain spots to build reps. They'll be rotating a lot anyway at several positions, due to necessity/potential injuries. Our view was particularly shielded from any of the live-action today, so it was tough to come away with many takeaways.

- Jeffrey Ugo had an interception in 1-on-1s. He's been solid throughout camp and is a great backup option behind Fontenette at STAR.

- Khordae Sydnor continues to impress, it’ll be interesting to see how he stacks up with DiCosmo on the depth chart for week 1.

- I thought the cornerbacks looked pretty solid today, a pleasant surprise. Jaylin Lackey made a nice play on Skinner in the end zone. Kolbey Taylor also made a nice deflection on Cole Spence in the end zone. That's where I think Taylor will shine, being physical with bigger weapons that teams like to target in the red zone. Tyson Russell also made a PBU on Founji that caught my eye.

- Bryan Longwell's speed and pursuit continue to impress. He and Langston both are almost always in the right spot and playing with even more physicality this season.

We'll have more after the pressers.

I am completely convinced that Milquetoast made some very good hires in Kill, Beck at OC, and Lea at DC. I’ve convinced myself that Kill has a big enough voice to make some of the changes that needed to be made on this team too. Lea isn’t much of a competitor (more of a ceo) but Kill is, this is a big deal.

Pavia, Stowers, Spence, Sherrill and hopefully a surprise or two are running an offense that keeps defenses on their heels and I believe that we’re all going to be shocked at how decent to good our offense is.

CJ Taylor, Langston Patterson, Randon Fontenette, Dontae Carter, Longwell, Bryce Cowan, Prince Collie, Kolbey Taylor, Sewell, and hopefully a much improved DL. We have a few playmakers on this side of the ball and @Billy Derrick has assured me that Clark Lea is a fantastic Defensive Coordinator.

We host Va Tech, Bama, freaking Texas, Carl’s Jr and UTjr, what an incredible schedule. If we can show progress and toughness, we may steal a few games this year.

I’m trying to stay grounded but I really can’t do it anymore. We are 11 days from kickoff and I hope we have a decent Vandy crowd for the opener so that if we find ourselves in a game, the players will get some energy from us.

Do we expect the students to show up? At 28,500, do we have any chance of having more fans there than Va Tech does? Regardless, I’m counting down the days at this point and ready to get hurt again.

Vanderbilt checks in at 75; projected SEC record of 6-12:

Has the line-up for V Tech been published yet? Curious to see how many transfers will be starting.

It’s pretty close to set

Nov. 4: Maryland Eastern Shore
Nov. 16: Jackson State
Dec. 8: TCU
Dec. 21: Austin Peay
Dec. 30: New Orleans

Other buy games: Citadel (source)

Power five/upper echelon midmajors:
MTE, three games in Charleston
ACC/SEC: Virginia Tech

If you take a look at the NEZ construction cam, the new videoboard has been fired up and appears operational. I know several on here were concerned about its readiness, so thought you would want to take a look. Additionally, there have been a few posts questioning the readiness of the new premium seating in the NEZ. The premium seating area appears largely complete at this point. And, if you believe the renderings, the seating here will be bistro chairs rather than fixed stadium seats. If that is still the plan, then they only need to place the chairs in the next week and a half which should be easy to do. Now, the new basketball operations building that the videoboard sits atop looks unlikely to be completed by August 31, but I don't know if that building was intended to be accessed from the premium seating area on game days.

Clark Lea:

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Dontae Carter:

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Loic Fouonji:

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Nm

Offense (Joey):

-Rough day for the Vanderbilt offense. Not much of a downfield attack, lot of close calls on interceptions, some penalties. Not a lot of time for the quarterbacks to throw. Some bad decision making out of them. Some drops.

-Diego Pavia wasn't as good as he was last week. He seemed to use his legs more which was a positive but just wasn't consistent as a passer and didn't really throw it down the field. He looks to have command of the huddle and such, but I wasn't encouraged. Just not enough substantial gains with him out there. I do think he's still the number one QB. He did do a fine job moving the pocket.

-Nate Johnson completed a long pass early but from there had a really difficult time. Made some throws that probably should've been intercepted. Didn't leave encouraged with his arm. Didn't see him use his legs much early either. One stood out when he could've had Kam Johnson for a touchdown but underthrew him which ended the drive. He was the leading passer through about a half with 19 passing yards, though. That all came on one throw.

-Drew Dickey was the best quarterback of them all. He showed some real command of the offense and in Chris' words "everyone else is making the forward pass look like the moon landing and he's just carving them up." He didn't do much early but took a drive late and just blew us away. Found Loic Fouonji over and over again while mixing Cole Spence in there. Threw a touchdown to Eli Stowers which was the first one of the day. He's inching closer to Johsnon.

-Blaze Berlowitz was good with his legs but didn't do much through the air. St Hilare struggled with ball security and Whit Muschamp seemed to miss a lot of throws but also hit some downfield.

-AJ Newberry had the day's first 20-yard play and probably the best day out of the backs. Chase Gillespie was fine, he's been better in scrimmages than in practice where I haven't seen him much. Sedrick Alexander didn't do a whole lot but caught a ball for 17 yards that was the standout play from him. Still think their QBs could be more successful running than their backs.

-Thought their tight ends were ok. Cole Spence was quieter but he made two catches for a little under 30 yards on the Dickey drive. Kameran Johnson had one of his better days. Eli Stowers just keeps quietly getting better and producing more.

-Receivers were super quiet, especially Skinner, Sherrill. Think they combined for around 20 yards and two catches. Loic Fouonji had a better day than most but he caught most of his balls on that Dickey drive. Caught like four in a row or something. Nothing out of the freshmen today. Dariyan Wiley and Jeremiah Dillon didn't go.

-Jake Balis and Dominic Rezac stood out late!

Defense (Billy):

• The defense won the day
• Randon Fontenette was everywhere, but the sky is also blue.
• Jaylin Lackey keeps making plays.
• The defensive line got a ton of pressure today.
• Diakite did not see action, but was in pads, so I would guess he’s fine.
• Glenn Seabrooks saw a lot of snaps. He could play more than anticipated this season and might’ve already passed Devin Lee on the depth chart.
• Martel Hight should’ve had an interception but dropped it. That same thing also happened a few times in last week’s scrimmage.
• Dontae Carter was more active than last week.
• The defense wore out toward the end.
• Will Faris hit a 47-yard FG. Special teams coordinator Jeff LePak said there’s a battle between Faris and Taylor. I still think it’s Taylor’s to lose, but we’ll see. Taylor hit a 28-yard FG, but also had a 56-yarder blocked by Yilanan
• Brail Lipford, a walk-on transfer from Rocky Mountain College, had the play of the day on a diving one-handed interception of Jeremy St. Hilaire.
• I’ll add more after we talk with coaches/players

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As Vandy United continues to alter the landscape in and around FirstBank Stadium, Vanderbilt Athletics has shared several updates for fans planning on attending Commodore football games this fall.

Vanderbilt opens the 2024 season on Aug. 31 when Virginia Tech visits FirstBank Stadium for an 11 a.m. kickoff. The home slate includes Alcorn State (Sept. 7), preseason No. 5 Alabama (Oct. 5), Ball State (Oct. 19), No. 4 Texas (Oct. 26), South Carolina (Nov. 9) and No. 15 Tennessee (Nov. 30).

Kickoff Windows
The first new process for fans involves kickoff times, as the SEC’s enhanced partnership with ABC and ESPN has facilitated the announcement of kickoff windows for all games this season. Every conference game this year has been assigned a window, allowing fans to better plan their game weekends and travel.

Alabama, Texas and South Carolina are all in the afternoon window, meaning kickoff will be between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. CT. The Tennessee game is in the early window, giving the contest a start between 11 a.m. and noon. Exact kickoff times will be announced six days prior to each game.

In the nonconference slate, Virginia Tech gets underway at 11 a.m., Alcorn State starts at 6:30 p.m. and Ball State will begin at 6 p.m.

Vanderbilt’s complete 2024 schedule is available here.

Digital Map
Vanderbilt has partnered with Concept3D to develop a new digital map for fans to use on game days. The map will be available the week of the Virginia Tech game.

Star Walk

Star Walk will return in a similar format to last season, giving fans a chance to cheer on the Commodores as they transition from the locker room to the field. Star Walk is scheduled for approximately 45 minutes prior to kickoff of each home game on the football practice fields directly south of the McGugin Center.

Stadium Entrances
As construction continues in the Frist Athletics Village, fans will have multiple options to enter FirstBank Stadium. With the opening of the north end zone facility, fans will be able to access both sides of FirstBank Stadium.

The Gate 1 and Gate 4 entrances on the north side of FirstBank Stadium will both be open this season. Fans can also continue to enter through the Frist Family Gate at the corner of Natchez Trace and Jess Neely Dr., as well as through Memorial Gymnasium.

Videoboard and Sound System
Atop the new north end zone facility sits a new video board and sound system. CTS AVL was added to the construction team undertaking the generational renovations at FirstBank Stadium. CTS, which has worked closely with Vanderbilt for years, was brought on board to provide and install the new LED and audio solutions for the stadium. CTS partnered with Elite Displays for the LED technology solutions, and L-Acoustics and Fulcrum Acoustic for the audio solutions.

Elite Displays provides the primary scoreboard at 30 feet x 84 feet using 8mm SMD technology with a resolution of 1152 x 3200 pixels of crystal-clear images. Additionally, 230 feet of 10mm Ribbon displays will allow for increased advertising opportunities and light up the crowd with graphics and fan prompts.

The new audio system in FirstBank Stadium is built to bring high energy, excitement and connectedness to the entire stadium. L-Acoustics, one of the premier manufacturers of speaker systems in the world, provides line array technology for the main seating sections. Twenty-four L-Acoustics K2 Line Array speakers, 16 KS28 sub speakers, 13 A15 speakers, with 12 L-Acoustics amplifiers delivering a possible 168,000 watts of power make up the primary audio system. Supplementary fill speakers from L-Acoustics and Fulcrum Acoustic are strategically placed throughout the stadium to ensure that coverage and intelligibility are consistent throughout the entire stadium.

Concessions Updates
Multiple new concessions offerings will be available for fans at FirstBank Stadium starting this fall. The highlights include offerings from 5 Points Pizza, Mission BBQ and a cantina-style concession stand, and the north end zone will include a new market for fans to purchase food and drinks.

Continued Updates
As construction progress throughout the season, fans are encouraged to check back to VUCommodores.com during the week leading up to each home game to have the latest information. Construction will continue to impact road closures and pedestrian access on campus.

Fans should consult maps and keep an eye out for postage signage as they navigate the area surrounding FirstBank Stadium.

Four rounds in the 60s and a tie for 12th at the Czech Masters this weekend.

Let me tell y'all a thing that makes altogether too much sense...
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Billy and I are doing every group of positions on the team, should all be out before the season.

Quarterbacks:
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Running backs:
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Wide receivers:
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Tight Ends:
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Offensive line:
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WR out of California that camped with the Commodores this summer. Had offers from Tulane and Rice.

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$500+ million price tag