Hey, I just realized my wife is out of town that weekend AND my boys do not have a baseball game. How the hell did both of these things happen the same weekend? It's the perfect opportunity to take them to their first Vandy football game (btw, the wife loves college football...we just assumed the baseball schedule would be a direct conflict every week until Oct).

Before I go buy from a ticket broker, does anyone have three tickets they can't use that night?

Playing Lipscomb tonight

With palatial Liberty Creek that Super and Board have a mess on their hands

Anybody know a source besides YouTube for these ? Back in the day the ESPN app kept a lot of these but no longer .

SEC network only has Hawaii scheduled for replay .

In honor of freshman week at schools around the country, we’ve decided to make this a freshman themed week on the site and podcast. We’ll have our regularly scheduled programming but also plan on doing some written work on Vanderbilt freshmen as well as podcasts discussing the football and basketball classes, maybe baseball. Also trying to get a basketball freshman on the pod, working with the comms department on that now.

On the George Plaster Show

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Thursday, August 17 practice notes (practice No. 17)
Practice ended a little early today due to the decision to have some team meetings. I probably saw about an hour’s worth of work. Again, we’re at the stage of practice where there’s not much new to learn, but there were a couple of things of note. Also, Hawaii prep starts Friday, so I guess this was the last “fall camp” practice, if you want to be technical about it.

• The offensive star of the day in what I witnessed was true freshman TE Kamrean Johnson, who probably caught a half-dozen balls of significance in scrimmage work. How much should someone read into that? Probably not much because a lot of reserves got work today and again, Hawaii prep starts tomorrow. However, a source yesterday did mention that they like Johnson, so, that could be a case where he earns some playing time at a position where they’re a bit thin with Cole Spence’s season-ending injury.
• The other guy on the field more than usual today was STAR Jailen Ruth; I’m not sure how much he factors in this year because he’s still a bit light (6-3, 210) but there’s a little bit of a pass-rush burst there, perhaps.
• Anchor Bryce Cowan continues to do Bryce Cowan things. I do wonder if, between that and the fact he just came over from linebacker (where they have some good players, but not many bodies) there is a path to playing time between the two roles, because he just seems to make too many plays to be kept off the field.
• Guys who made a play or two I liked today: DE Linus Zunk, WR Junior Sherrill, WR Jayden McGowan, DL Nate Clifton.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 16 (practice No. 16)
Vanderbilt scrimmaged a good bit outside today in what was a rather physical practice in which, if you’ve watched practice (and I think we’ve had a presence at all but one of them) you didn’t learn much new. So instead of rehashing that, here are my thoughts on the depth chart (please note, this is MY TAKE on this and NOT NECESSARILY THE STAFF’S, the staff was not consulted for input here) along with some brief thoughts at every position.

QUARTERBACK
1 AJ Swann / 2 Ken Seals / 3 Drew Dickey / 4 Walter Taylor / 5 Brennan Storer
No movement that I can see in camp. Swann’s the starter, Seals has been good and while Dickey seems the clear No. 3 to me, Taylor is the guy that a lot of the media who pass through for one practice ends up talking about. Clearly the talent is there, he’s just not nearly as consistent as the others.

RUNNING BACK
1 Patrick Smith / 2 Chase Gillespie / 3 Sedrick Alexander / 4 AJ Newberry / 5 Deago Benson / 6 Dylan Betts-Pauley
We talked about this in the podcast yesterday, our guess is that it’s Smith and Gillespie to start the year, but to us, Alexander and Newberry have looked like the most explosive backs on the roster, and not necessarily in that order. I’ll be really interested to see if workload shifts over the course of the season.

WIDE RECEIVER
X: 1 Will Sheppard / 2 Gamarion Carter / 3 Wilson Long / 4 Shawn Naim
Y: 1 Quincy Skinner / 2 London Humphries / 3 Richie Hoskins / 4 Hutch Baird
Slot: 1 Jayden McGowan / 2 Junior Sherrill / 3 Ezra McAllister / 4 Landon Wells
I think we’ve said this a few times but this is the best position group on the team. Sheppard has bene outstanding, Skinner has been excellent at times and Humphries and Sherrill look like the two best freshmen on the team, while Hoskins would win the “most valuable walk-on” award if they gave one. The two freshmen are just too good not to play, especially since they can use Sherrill outside the slot at times, too. Carter has been fine but I’m not sure what to do with him at this point, especially with Humphries, Sherrill and Hoskins playing so well.

TIGHT END
1 Justin Ball / 2 Logan Kyle / 3 Chris Boyle / 4 Kam Johnson / 5 Josh Palmer
Still not crazy about this group; Ball has had a respectable camp but the Cole Spence injury completely changed the room. You’ll see Kyle and Boyle out there some and maybe Johnson, too, while Palmer wasn’t participating today and is almost certainly a year of work in the weight room for even being in consideration since he’s listed at 192 pounds.

OFFENSIVE LINE
LT: 1 Gunnar Hansen / 2 Leyton Nelson / 3 David Siegel / 4 Anthony Miles / 5 Misael Sandoval
LG: 1 Delfin Xavier Castillo / 2 Kevo Wesley / 3 Levi Harber

C: 1 Julian Hernandez / 2 Grayson Morgan / 3 Duncan MacDonald
RG: 1 Bradley Ashmore / 2 Gage Pitchford / 3 Cooper Starks
RT: 1 Junior Uzebu / 2 Charlie Clark / 3 David Siegel
The starting 5 hasn’t changed for a second and the 2s are fairly consistent, though Siegel may be ahead of Clark on the right side (and he can play left also. I haven’t seen anything to suggest a true freshman will be a factor this year.

DEFENSIVE LINE
DE: 1 Yilanan Outtara / 2 Linus Zunk / 3 Brayden Bapst
NT: 1 Devin Lee / 2 De’Marion Thomas / 3 Michael Spencer
DT: 1 Nate Clifton / 2 Daevion Davis / 3 Bradley Mann / 4 Ted Gregorie

STAR: 1 Aeneas DiCosmo / 2 Miles Capers / 3 Alex Brown / 4 Jailen Ruth

ALSO: Darren Agu (would be the starting end, if healthy) and Christian James (would probably be running second team at any number of spots if healthy) and BJ Diakate (also hurt, my guess is he’d be competing for second-team reps at “star.”)

This is probably one of the best defensive line groups I’ve covered; I don’t think the overall talent and size is there to break into the top half of the SEC but they’ve closed the gap considerably in two years; the fact that Davis isn’t as big a factor as I’d have guessed says more about what the others have done to get better than it does about him. Other than the guys at the “star” position, most of these guys can play one or two other spots. Clifton and Lee are better than they were a year ago and I’ll be interested to see what Outtara can do with the extra time he gets because of the Agu injury. I’m thinking Thomas will be part of the rotation pretty quickly but I wouldn’t guarantee it. I’ve got Gregorie listed fourth, but don’t sleep on him as a potential factor this year; he can play inside or outside.

LINEBACKER/ANCHOR
WLB: 1 Kane Patterson / 2 Bryan Longwell / 3 Nick Rinaldi
MLB: 1 Ethan Barr / 2 Langston Patterson / 3 Carson Casteel
ANCHOR: 1 CJ Taylor / 2 Bryce Cowan / 3 Ethan Crisp / 4 Dante Kelly / 5 Dominc Rezac / 6 Ty Bartholomew

ALSO: Errington Truesdell (hurt all camp; would have fought for a backup linebacker spot), Jeffrey Ugochukwu (would have fought for time at anchor, been out all camp) and Prince Kollie (LB)
I don’t think any group has been more affected by injury in camp than this one. Some good news: Taylor was out there a little today; his absence has allowed Cowan to get a lot of reps and play well. I would probably slot Kane Patterson ahead of Ethan Barr, but coach Clark Lea referred to Barr (who’s been out a couple of weeks) as a “starting linebacker” recently. I feel like Longwell’s recent surge has put him ahead of Rinaldi but the latter can play a bit, too, and so I’m not sure about that. I have no idea if or when Kollie will play; last we asked they were confident he’d be back soon but he’s not been in pads at any point and most practices is just sitting out and not even participating in drills. Crisp would have been further up the depth chart on any of the Mason teams and will eventually play, and this is just what happens when you upgrade your overall talent levels.

SECONDARY
FCB: 1 BJ Anderson / 2 Truedell Berry / 3 Gumbo Gaskins
BCB: 1 Tyson Russell / 2 Martel Hight / 3 Alan Wright / 4 Mustafa Dannett
SS: 1 Jaylen Mahoney / 2 Savion Riley / 3 Jalen Gilbert
FS: 1 De’Rickey Wright / 2 Marlin Sewell / 3 John Howse IV

Also: Jameson Whaton (has missed almost all camp, would have been competing for second- or third-team corner), Steven Sannienola (out all camp, would have been a factor for safety depth)
I get the feeling they’re going with Anderson and Russell to start; could be wrong. Again, I think Hight is the most talented corner on the roster and he’ll play a lot. Gaskins has been out some and I’m not sure what they have there. Riley benefitted from a lot of reps with Mahoney out. I can’t remember if for sure Gilbert was playing on the strong or weak side but Howse has been out there a lot more than he has and would be their fourth or fifth safety.

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK: 1 Jacob Borcila / 2 Brock Taylor / 3 Will Faris
P: 1 Matthew Hayball / 2 Conor Weasler
KOR: Jayden McGowan
PR: Will Sheppard / Martel Hight

Hayball is clearly the punter. I get the impression Borcila will be the kicker but special teams coach Justin Lustig left the door open for Taylor to win the job, too, and it sounds like Faris might kick off. In other words, you could see all three. Not sure who the other kickoff returner is outside McGowan and that’s probably on me for not paying better attention.

After losing one of their best WR a few weeks ago they just received word one of their best LBs will miss the season due to non-contact injury. Wake is still stacked and has tons of 3rd and 4th and 5th year players that are now getting their chance to play and have been in that system for a few years. I still feel the line opens -10.5.

TY

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Which do you deem to be a future starter at Vanderbilt and why?

Per a VU press release:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In support of recovery efforts following devastating wildfires on Maui, Vanderbilt Athletics has announced that a portion of proceeds from each ticket sold to the Commodores’ season-opening football game against Hawai’i will be donated to the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund.

In order to make a donation, Dore fans must purchase tickets to the contest in advance by clicking HERE.

The Maui Strong Fund is providing financial resources that can be deployed quickly, with a focus on rapid response and recovery for the devastating wildfires on Maui. Funding will support evolving needs, including shelter, food, financial assistance, and other services as identified by the organization’s partners doing critical work on Maui.

The Commodores are set to play host to Hawai’i on Saturday, Aug. 26 at FirstBank Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. It’s the second season in a row that the Commodores will face the Rainbow Warriors to begin the year after travelling to Honolulu last fall.

Wednesday, August 16 (Practice No. 17)
Practice was mostly outdoors, with much of the roster getting in on 11-on-11 work. We are now at the “there’s not much new to be seen here” point of fall camp, so, rather than re-hashing observations I’ve made other days, I’ll share thoughts in what I think is settled on this roster and what isn’t.

Where I am reasonably certain:

1. The quarterback pecking order. AJ Swann’s going to start, Ken Seals will be the backup, and I think Drew Dickey, the No. 3.
2. The starting offensive line—from left to right, Gunnar Hansen, Delfin Xavier Castillo, Julian Hernandez, Bradley Ashmore, Junior Uzebu—hasn’t changed all camp and there’s no reason to think it will.
3. I don’t think you’ll see a true freshman offensive lineman play meaningful snaps this year.
4. WR Will Sheppard is the best player on the team, and I think he’ll be joined by Quincy Skinner (Z) and Jayden McGowan (slot). And I think London Humphries and Junior Sherrill will see WR reps in the opener, too.
5. I think RB Patrick Smith will be the starter.
6. TE Justin Ball will start, and TE Logan Kyle will play a good bit as the second-best tight end.
7. Along the DL and LB corps, NT Devin Lee, DT Nate Clifton and Star Aeneas DiCosmo, along with WLB Kane Patterson, should start.
8. CB BJ Anderson will start, SS Jaylen Mahoney will also, and I think FS De’Rickey Wright should also, though Marlen Sewell has played more (due to Wright being out) and done things at times

Where I am less certain:

1. Who starts opposite Anderson at the other corner? It sure looked like it’d be Martel Hight last week and then it sure looked like that would be Tyson Russell the last 4-5 practices. Based on that and history, my assumption was that Russell had probably won the job—he’s been there two years longer—I was told today that might not necessarily be the case. So that’s probably my top question at this point.
2. The next-biggest question is placekicker, where Kansas transfer Jacob Borcilla and Brock Taylor are battling it out, and my perception is that Taylor (who has a big leg) has improved as camp has gone on. My gut feeling is Borcilla and I’d be mildly surprised if he’s not the guy, but perhaps the last week matters. Oh, and Clark Lea hinted Sunday that Will Faris (the only returnee of the three) might be the kickoff guy.
3. Ethan Barr (still out) or Langston Patterson at MLB? I think Patterson is the flashier player and better pass-rush option but they still seem to lean Barr here.
4. The backup there is a question. They like Bryan Longwell and so do I, but they like Nick Rinaldi also (and I share the sentiment that he can help). I think both will play but I’m not certain about a pecking order there.
5. Will Chase Gillespie or Sedrick Alexander be the second-team RB? (My guess it’s the order I listed).
6. What is WR Gamarion Carter’s role? It’s not as if he’s been bad, they just have so many options. And that possibly includes walk-on Richie Hoskins who (and I am not exaggerating here) does something good in just about every practice.
7. Is Leyton Nelson the top backup option at both tackles? My guess is that he is but you could see Charlie Clark as the backup RT or David Siegel as the top backup at either.
8. What do they do at the end spot vacated by the Darren Agu injury? Again, my guess is Yilanan Outtara starts here but Linus Zunk, Brayden Bapst and Alex Brown have played a good bit at that spot. Nate Clifton has (and could) also move over one spot and play outside, which could mean Daevion Davis starts inside in that event.
9. What do do with this year’s CJ-Taylor-lite Bryce Cowan, who has been a LB and is behind Taylor at anchor?
10. Whether they’ll go Will Sheppard or Martel Hight returning punts could be a question of preference. I just haven’t seen any game-breaking ability in Sheppard as a returner, but he doesn’t drop the ball, either. I think that Hight probably brings more explosiveness here.

Two other notes:

• I forgot to report this earlier, but Tommy Eckels—a walk-on who played all 12 games last year—isn’t with the team this year and is done with football.
• Don’t sleep on Daevon Walker as a future corner who can help. Someone brought his name up to me today; this wasn’t just a “he’s not going to play at receiver, so let’s move him over here,” move as they really think he has potential there.

Vanderbilt men's golf has 6 players competing in the US Amateur this week. The most of any college program

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Today’s mailbag is sponsored by Sutherland & Belk, a family owned injury law firm. If you or a loved one has been hurt in an accident, give Taylor or Russell a call at 615-846-6200 to see what your rights are and if they can help.
Our guest line is presented by Jon Levin and the Maynard Nexuses government contracts group. Maynard Nexuses advises government contractors on all aspects of their needs, with a proud focus on matching legal solutions to business needs.

We'll mostly focus on the newcomers for football and maybe if we have some time, on hoops newcomers too. I've got a pretty tight window between a radio guest spot and needing to get to practice.

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Whatever he’s doing, get all the guys on the team doing it.

Section 238, row 5, seats 17-18, with parking pass in the Circle 75 Parkway lot.

Would like to get $75/per ticket as that’s what I paid for them. Parking would be no charge.

Hate I’m not going to be able to go, but life happens.

Want to get them in the hands of folks that can use them!! And if I can help out a Vandy fan then that’s even better!!

PM me if you’re interested.