CLARK LEA
Welcomes everyone to Nashville on behalf of the school
Nashville is a loyal partner to their program
A year ago they were looking for an identity and that led to struggles but they found flashes of success at the end of the year.
“We will never be satisfied with 5-7. … We will not back down from (our goal of) being the best football program in the nation.”
“Our goal is postseason play.”
“Progress is seldom linear and not guaranteed.”
“The chip on my shoulder is still there, and it’s still important.”
Diiermier and Lee are “the best partners I could ever ask for.”
“As I look out my window daily, I look at the physical transformation of our spaces.”
“We’re playing the long game at Vanderbilt. … We’ve chosen to set our foundation on deep and solid ground and are committed to seeing our mission through.”
QUESTION ABOUT BARTON SIMMONS
He’s been such a great partner
“The truth is, that hire was made back in the seventh grade.”
Talked them being close friends and staying in touch.
“It wasn’t always supported by our wives but we had long conversations about development… and where some the flaws are in the system of evaluation… and what’s valued externally that sometimes can be misplaced internally… we wanted to re-imagine what recruiting can be. … because we are developmentally-based, their performance will amplify.”
Said Barr and Sheppard’s only Power 5 offers were Vanderbilt
The alignment in vision on being a developmental program has been fun.
Barton is also a Nashvillian; his wife isn’t going anywhere, “this partnership will go for a long time.”
ON IMPROVING ON DEFENSE AND PLAYING YOUNG GUYS
We do return snaps at corner but just because they’ve played a bunch doesn’t give us the best chance to win.
Game is won and lost on the perimeter
They have some second-year players who are further along.
They also have a true freshman who has a chance to make an impact.
The way they start won’t be the way they finish.
Their goal is to get these guys exposure and having a good receiving corps to go against in practice will help
QUESTION ABOUT TEXAS AND COMING TO NASHVILLE IN 2024
To add Texas and Oklahoma is a statement
Competitors measure themselves against the very best
He wants teams to feel like Vanderbilt is tough and has the weapons to be dangerous
They were inconsistent in showing up, they hope to be better in that regard next year.
HAVE FACILITIES HELPED RECRUITING
Yes
When he accepted the job, plans were in place and they could start talking about it then
DIermeier is a big football fan
He’s sat with Diermeer and Barton for an hour and a half at a time just spitballing on recruiting
Soon they’ll be talking about best-in-class resources, and when has that ever happened for us?
Vanderbilt is 1-of-1 because of sports/school/city
ON CONSTRUCTION, HOW PATIENT WILL THEY HAVE TO BE GIVEN THE CURRENT STATE OF THINGS
Joked to Teresa Walker that he’s asked to clear the path to the press elevator
They can’t treat it as unfortunate, they have to celebrate it as progress
As a fan, this is a great moment
There won’t be another year where they have that level of construction
Let’s embrace and have fun with it
1-2 years from now we’ll have a tough place to come to play for an opponent
The jackhammers aren’t convenient but they are progress
BLITZ RATE RISING FROM 18% to 28%, WILL THAT CONTINUE?
Nick Howell is the DC, he’ll call the defenses, he’s an aggressive dude and play-caller
They want to shorten the down with a four-man front
The game is won and lost on the perimeter
They’ve seen progress in the defensive front
The DL was their most improved unit this spring, that allows them to be coverage-based
Howell might send 7-8 guys at times
NORTHWESTERN SITUATION, DO THEY ADDRESS/GUARD AGAINST HAZING?
It’s sad on so many levels but hard to comment because he’s not at NW
Anything that’s not a value-add for student-athletes, they’ve lost their way as coaches
They’re there to help players with a launching point to the future
They live out their values every single day
Sometimes behaviors start very small, they need to know and have boundaries
A lot of the broader problems in the sport have to do with lack of boundaries, you can’t create synergy without those
They have boundaries where people can speak up and say “this isn’t quite what I wanted” and that’s the goal
They have five covenants and one is “true brotherhood” and that’s inconsistent with abuse
It’s a partnership and so it’s not just about his message, it’s how that’s actualized
They will continue to create a culture “where people feel comfortable speaking up when something seems off.”
ELIJAH MCALLISTER, WHAT IS AUBURN GETTING?
A first-class person with length who plays hard
He’s a Vandy grad
They stay in touch, the college football world needs for him to have a platform
LOSING RAY DAVIS, HOW MUCH PRESSURE DOES THAT PUT ON SWANN/HOW DO THEY REPLACE?
They appreciate Ray but he also ran behind a bunch of guys who return
Gillespie and Smith are capable and they add talented freshmen
AJ will grow from year 1 to 2 and that’ll have to do with consistency in execution
They won’t change who they are
They won’t skip a beat in the run game
They’re excited for those guys to come together in fall camp
Welcomes everyone to Nashville on behalf of the school
Nashville is a loyal partner to their program
A year ago they were looking for an identity and that led to struggles but they found flashes of success at the end of the year.
“We will never be satisfied with 5-7. … We will not back down from (our goal of) being the best football program in the nation.”
“Our goal is postseason play.”
“Progress is seldom linear and not guaranteed.”
“The chip on my shoulder is still there, and it’s still important.”
Diiermier and Lee are “the best partners I could ever ask for.”
“As I look out my window daily, I look at the physical transformation of our spaces.”
“We’re playing the long game at Vanderbilt. … We’ve chosen to set our foundation on deep and solid ground and are committed to seeing our mission through.”
QUESTION ABOUT BARTON SIMMONS
He’s been such a great partner
“The truth is, that hire was made back in the seventh grade.”
Talked them being close friends and staying in touch.
“It wasn’t always supported by our wives but we had long conversations about development… and where some the flaws are in the system of evaluation… and what’s valued externally that sometimes can be misplaced internally… we wanted to re-imagine what recruiting can be. … because we are developmentally-based, their performance will amplify.”
Said Barr and Sheppard’s only Power 5 offers were Vanderbilt
The alignment in vision on being a developmental program has been fun.
Barton is also a Nashvillian; his wife isn’t going anywhere, “this partnership will go for a long time.”
ON IMPROVING ON DEFENSE AND PLAYING YOUNG GUYS
We do return snaps at corner but just because they’ve played a bunch doesn’t give us the best chance to win.
Game is won and lost on the perimeter
They have some second-year players who are further along.
They also have a true freshman who has a chance to make an impact.
The way they start won’t be the way they finish.
Their goal is to get these guys exposure and having a good receiving corps to go against in practice will help
QUESTION ABOUT TEXAS AND COMING TO NASHVILLE IN 2024
To add Texas and Oklahoma is a statement
Competitors measure themselves against the very best
He wants teams to feel like Vanderbilt is tough and has the weapons to be dangerous
They were inconsistent in showing up, they hope to be better in that regard next year.
HAVE FACILITIES HELPED RECRUITING
Yes
When he accepted the job, plans were in place and they could start talking about it then
DIermeier is a big football fan
He’s sat with Diermeer and Barton for an hour and a half at a time just spitballing on recruiting
Soon they’ll be talking about best-in-class resources, and when has that ever happened for us?
Vanderbilt is 1-of-1 because of sports/school/city
ON CONSTRUCTION, HOW PATIENT WILL THEY HAVE TO BE GIVEN THE CURRENT STATE OF THINGS
Joked to Teresa Walker that he’s asked to clear the path to the press elevator
They can’t treat it as unfortunate, they have to celebrate it as progress
As a fan, this is a great moment
There won’t be another year where they have that level of construction
Let’s embrace and have fun with it
1-2 years from now we’ll have a tough place to come to play for an opponent
The jackhammers aren’t convenient but they are progress
BLITZ RATE RISING FROM 18% to 28%, WILL THAT CONTINUE?
Nick Howell is the DC, he’ll call the defenses, he’s an aggressive dude and play-caller
They want to shorten the down with a four-man front
The game is won and lost on the perimeter
They’ve seen progress in the defensive front
The DL was their most improved unit this spring, that allows them to be coverage-based
Howell might send 7-8 guys at times
NORTHWESTERN SITUATION, DO THEY ADDRESS/GUARD AGAINST HAZING?
It’s sad on so many levels but hard to comment because he’s not at NW
Anything that’s not a value-add for student-athletes, they’ve lost their way as coaches
They’re there to help players with a launching point to the future
They live out their values every single day
Sometimes behaviors start very small, they need to know and have boundaries
A lot of the broader problems in the sport have to do with lack of boundaries, you can’t create synergy without those
They have boundaries where people can speak up and say “this isn’t quite what I wanted” and that’s the goal
They have five covenants and one is “true brotherhood” and that’s inconsistent with abuse
It’s a partnership and so it’s not just about his message, it’s how that’s actualized
They will continue to create a culture “where people feel comfortable speaking up when something seems off.”
ELIJAH MCALLISTER, WHAT IS AUBURN GETTING?
A first-class person with length who plays hard
He’s a Vandy grad
They stay in touch, the college football world needs for him to have a platform
LOSING RAY DAVIS, HOW MUCH PRESSURE DOES THAT PUT ON SWANN/HOW DO THEY REPLACE?
They appreciate Ray but he also ran behind a bunch of guys who return
Gillespie and Smith are capable and they add talented freshmen
AJ will grow from year 1 to 2 and that’ll have to do with consistency in execution
They won’t change who they are
They won’t skip a beat in the run game
They’re excited for those guys to come together in fall camp
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