75% of the sports section is UT related. Only an occasional VU story. I’m about done with them.

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Has a Top 7 of Alabama, Clemson, UCF, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, and Ohio State

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We will be kicking it off against Hawaii in no time.

I was lifting in the UT gym this evening when I saw a guy in a Vandy basketball shirt. I never see anyone else wearing Vandy merch in the UT gym, so I asked him if he went to Vandy. Anyway, we got to talking and he told me he was best friends with a former Vandy player, Gabe Dorsey, since high school. He mentioned that Gabe transferred to Wake Forest so that's how he got a bunch of Vandy merch like the shirt because Gabe didn't want it. So I asked why Gabe transferred. He said Gabe was a 3-point shooter in high school but wasn't given the opportunity to shoot threes at Vandy. He said at Wake he's back to draining threes. I asked about Gabe's thoughts on Stack as a coach, and he said the game plan was always as-soon-as-you-touch-the-ball-give-it-to-Scotty-Pippen-Jr and that caused "team chemistry" issues.

This is hearsay within hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, I felt obliged to share it with my buds on the board.

The Memphis native is another in-state product that now on Vanderbilt's target board after an impressive showing at one of their Elite Camps in June

Login to view embedded media They’ve got us T-4th for best chance to win the league

This is likely a question that has been explained elsewhere but I've been out of town the last two weeks and haven't been able to keep up with the board as much as I would have planned.

The question is what of the videos will be uploaded in podcast form. Most of them are still being introduced on Youtube as the "Vandysports Podcast" so I was curious how much I'll need to transition my content consumption from the podcast app to Youtube.

From The Athletic:

Rexrode: If Vanderbilt football dropped the ‘Vanderbilt,’ no one would question the progress

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Branding is Vanderbilt’s largest remaining obstacle on the way to winning football, bigger than any SEC opponent’s NIL collective cache, because history makes “Vanderbilt football” a tough sell — like if Ford came up with an exciting new sportscar and decided to call it the Pinto 2.0.

Also because, for those who haven’t noticed, Vanderbilt has in a couple of years vaporized the obstacles it spent decades placing in the way of all who dared wear the whistle on West End. And because the guy who does now is as committed as his support is transformative. Clark Lea said Vanderbilt will be “the best program in the country” a year ago at SEC media days, and on Tuesday at the same event, he trotted that out again along with terms such as “dominant program” and “toughest team in our conference.”

Lea’s 7-17 record in two seasons at his alma mater has a long way to go to catch up with those forecasts. They sound hyperbolic for a program that was last nationally relevant when the Model T was Ford’s best seller. But Vanderbilt fans shouldn’t let grandiose visions or time-tested insults distract from what he’s actually doing: building a winner.

How big, how fragile, how sustainable, these are all great questions. Based on actions and no words, though, I’ll make a prediction that is bolder than it may sound given Vanderbilt’s competition: Lea’s Commodores will soon stack together three straight winning seasons.

That last happened at Vanderbilt from 1957-59 under Arthur Guepe. And those records were 5-3-2, 5-2-3 and 5-3-2. That fuels the default dismissals of the seriousness of Vanderbilt, dismissals that surely reach the ears of all prospects considering the Commodores and all Commodores considering the transfer portal.

The best conditions for serious football in modern program history should start making Vanderbilt more difficult to dismiss. Lea has to start with one winning season, of course. He has a chance with this third team, after a 5-7 second season featuring Vandy’s first multi-win SEC performance since 2018. And after another offseason of adding talent and minimizing portal attrition.

Either way, Vanderbilt football is checking boxes it hasn’t checked. You’d have a hard time finding a college football coach whose list of needs would start with anything but “administrative support” and “resources” in some order. All success prior to Lea has been done without those things at sufficient levels — though James Franklin did get some things done in his three-season outlier of a tenure — which makes it more unlikely and impressive than some may realize.

Lea has chancellor Daniel Diermeier and athletic director Candice Lee behind him in words and deeds. Hundreds of millions of dollars in facilities improvements are underway. This isn’t as important as it once was, not for most, not with collectives competing for booster dollars. But it is at Vanderbilt because it has been so neglected, so embarrassing, so reflective of unserious football.

That’s done. The loud construction happening around Vandy’s soon-upgraded football building is shutting up a lot of people who said this would never happen.

“Before I was the Vanderbilt coach, I was a Vanderbilt player, a Vanderbilt fan,” Lea said. “We’ve been screaming for this for 30 years. Here it is. Now we get to choose to set our attitude and see the joy in the progress and celebrate advancement. We know in short order Vanderbilt football will be situated as a top-15 school playing in the best conference in the country, in the middle of the best city in the country, with first-class, best-in-class facilities.”

There’s a recruiting pitch. Emboldened by resources. But true administrative support means more than that. Genuine, give-and-take relationships must exist to meet daily challenges. Lee and Lea both recently got contract extensions, accompanied by press releases with the usual kind words. Thing is, when they actually talk about each other, the words are stronger.

The people who matter most in this thing are in this thing, on the same page. That’s less prevalent and more important than some may realize. Ask any college football coach.

“She doesn’t sweat the small stuff, but she makes sure we maintain an alignment on our values,” Lea said Tuesday of Lee. “She gets to listen to me as a football coach, too. We have certain things we like to talk about sometimes, and she always entertains those conversations and she’s a great listener. So independent of anything else, to me, I’m paired with one of the best leaders in our sport. And really one of the best leaders in college athletics. And I couldn’t be more grateful for her partnership.”

Lee has achieved a lot in three years as AD. She’s not the first Vanderbilt AD who has supported her coaches. She’s the first in recent memory who has not been roadblocked from above. Everything is possible from there.

On to other boxes.

Access to talent? Check. Modernized approach to evaluating talent? Check. Resources committed to having enough talent? Check-ish.

Three of Vanderbilt’s most poach-able players — quarterback AJ Swann, receiver Will Sheppard and linebacker C.J. Taylor — signed deals with the Anchor Collective (which has since merged with the Anchor Impact Fund) in December. It was a clear sign they were staying. And that Vanderbilt was at least getting into the business of committing resources to player retention. That’s critical.

“I know with NIL, you’ve got other schools that are able to throw around millions of dollars or whatever,” Sheppard said Tuesday. “We’ve got our AD. She’s working very hard to get us the things she believes we deserve and that we’ve earned with NIL. We’ve got the collective coming on and everything. At the end of the day, it’s got to be earned, we’re not just going to be giving away things. But if you earn it, you’re gonna receive it.”

I’d argue Vanderbilt won’t approach the upper reaches of the best conference in college football anytime soon without a few bucks for some of the players everyone wants. And that Vanderbilt can find those bucks despite a smaller alumni base and fan base than other SEC programs. That’s wait and see.

So is winning football under Lea, though I present two more boxes — a coach who is authentic and can relate to players, and a coach who won’t be looking for the next decent job when success comes. Check them both.

Before recent events, Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure at Northwestern was the model for Lea at Vanderbilt. A lot of it still is. When reports of the hazing allegations within the program that cost Fitzgerald his job came out, Lea texted a link to his players so they were aware. He was asked about it Tuesday.

“It’s unfortunate on so many levels,” Lea said. “And short of commenting on Northwestern’s program, because I’m not a part of Northwestern’s program, yeah, I believe that the day (that this sport) becomes anything other than a value add for the student-athlete … then we’ve lost our way as coaches. … I think a lot of the issues — and again, this isn’t speaking specifically about Northwestern — but a lot of the problems we’re facing now in the broader culture of our sport have to do with a lack of boundaries and a lack of know.”

Lea said a culture must exist “where people can speak up and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t quite what I like or this isn’t what I wanted,’ and give us a chance to make adjustments and shifts before you get anything that’s big that blows up on you.”

He also said “true brotherhood” is a program covenant and that “there’s no brotherhood that I know that starts with a level of abuse in the locker room.”

Vanderbilt football under Lea, beyond weighty proclamations that bring out well-worn wisecracks, is accumulating substance. I wouldn’t expect casual observers to buy it. If you’re a close observer, you have every right to hesitate.

The Ferraris and Bugattis of this league and sport are on a different track altogether. The ride from here won’t be smooth or linear. But I think it’s about to get fun. And I don’t think it’s going to blow up on you.

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Smart guy....brilliant imo

Does this translate to wins....sure doesn't hurt...but he is encouraging fans to adopt an attitude of positivity.....

⚓️⬇️https://www.nashvillepost.com/sport...cle_db78d990-25bd-11ee-ae5c-7bd5452deb79.html

Starts at the 33:22 minute mark. A lot of great stuff here.

Vanderbilt finds themselves among the Top 12 for highly-rated Ensworth (Tenn.) 2025 defensive Ethan Utley.

The other contenders include Michigan, Tennessee, Miami, North Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, Auburn, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Georgia.

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The Rivals250 prospect took summer trips to Oklahoma, Texas, Miami, and Florida and will look to take some additional game day visits this fall.

The Commodores immediately got involved as soon as Clark Lea took over as head coach back in December of 2020.

That longstanding relationship with the Vandy's staff is one of the biggest reasons why the Commodores are among the top contenders for the 6-foot-3, 265-pound talent.

ON VANDERBILT:

"Our relationship has been good since I got that offer. There is no flaws in Vandy's staff in my opinion from Coach (Jovan) Haye to Coach (Larry) Black to Coach (Clark) Lea. All those guys down there, they just enjoy having me around."

"They let me come in the facility and just chill, hangout, break down film, and get a workout in if I can. They really allow me to treat Vanderbilt like a home already and the reason they are standing out and in my Top 12 is because that staff pours a lot of time and effort into me."

"I take note of that and know they are serious about me. They've been applying pressure since they offered me and I really appreciate that and I'm looking forward to seeing where that relationship continues to progress."

Any word on Vanderbilt's potential involvement with Braden Montgomery? Team USA has been done since 7/12, so that's a week ago.

Incidentally...

On July 3, he pitched an inning and struck out all three batters against Chinese Taipei. He has been used primarily as a RF.

Later on, against the same team, but in a different game, Carter Holton pitched 1.2 innings, allowed 2 ER I think. Not a great showing from Carter.

We really need his bat, glove, and arm. Anyone have any word on if he's been to VU and are the odds of him landing in Nashville forever in our favor?

The Commodores recently jumped into the mix for Mason Goree, an intriguing in-state cornerback target out of Bradley Central (Tenn.) in the class of 2025. Goree earned the offer from Vanderbilt this past June after impressing the staff at a camp.

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The 5-foot-11, 160-pound recruit out of Cleveland, TN. sat down with VandySportsDotCom to discuss his latest SEC opportunity, revealing his overall interest in the Commodores' program.

Goree on being offered by Vanderbilt:

"Feels great to pick up my first Power 5 offer," Goree said. "Was highly expecting it since I've been in touch with them for a few months through my brother."

Goree on his relationship with Coach Dan Jackson:

"I've only spoken with Coach Dan Jackson," Goree said. "And talking with him, I feel like I learned more about the whole program and what he's trying to build for his secondary. And, he's teaching me a few techniques that I know will help me later on."

Goree on visiting West End next season:

"I talked with coach after the camp and I think he's trying to get me up for a visit," Goree said. "I'm going to come watch them play this upcoming season."

Goree told me he has no other visits scheduled at the moment.

Naturally, Vanderbilt did an outstanding job in-state by landing five Tennessee prospects so far. A look at other P5 programs that raided the Volunteer state

After impressing the Commodores at a recent camp, 2025 athlete Jamauri Brice, an intriguing recruiting target out of Cartersville (Ga.), added a new offer to his resume from Vanderbilt.

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The 5-foot-10, 175-pound recruit out of the Peach State sat down with VandySportsDotCom to detail his interest in Vanderbilt.

Brice on the SEC offer from Vanderbilt:

"It feels good to earn an offer from Vandy," Brice said. "Also, they have been apart of my recruitment for a while."

Brice on his relationship with Alex Bailey:

"I talked a lot with the wide receiver coach," Brice said. "I learned a lot from him."

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In addition to the offer from the Commodores, Brice has collected a mountain of notable opportunities, including multipe P5 offers.

with his estimate of $800 mil. needed for facilities upgrades.

Pete Thamel, ESPN: "...Vandy United -- that projects to cost somewhere between $600 million and $700 million."
...https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38027065/vanderbilt-football-clark-lea-progress-sec

Turner probably shouldn't have spent a half mil on his office, or gone through the $17 mil ADDW was sitting on, with no visible results.