Vanderbilt football concluded spring practice Saturday with the third of three scrimmages at local high schools. The Commodores did not hold a formal spring game due to construction at FirstBank Stadium.
With spring practices completed, it’s still over four months until kickoff, when Vanderbilt will face Virginia Tech on Aug. 31. Given the major roster and staff overhaul that occurred in the offseason, there are still a number of questions to be answered about what this team will look like.
The Commodores have especially seen a lot of turnover on offense, with spring ball giving a first look at almost entirely new quarterback and wide receiver rooms with new offensive coordinator Tim Beck.
Here are three lingering questions for Vanderbilt with spring practices done:
Diego Pavia, the New Mexico State transfer, made headlines for, among other things, his role in the Aggies’ upset of Auburn last season. In that game, Pavia threw three touchdowns.
Pavia is undersized for the SEC − New Mexico State listed him as 6-foot, 200 pounds − and he won’t be joining the team until the summer, so the coaching staff couldn’t evaluate him in the spring. He is by far the most proven option.
Utah transfer Nate Johnson is also a bit undersized, albeit not as much as Pavia (6-1, 195 pounds) and brings more dual-threat ability, but he was also prone to turnovers in spring ball. Avoiding turnovers has been one of the main goals of coach Clark Lea and offensive coordinator Tim Beck after that was an issue for the Commodores in 2023.
It’s common for the defense to be ahead of the offense during spring practices, especially with a coordinator change. But Vanderbilt’s defense looks like it could be legitimately improved.
A transfer portal exodus in the offseason hit the offense hardest, with most of the top contributors leaving. But the Commodores managed to keep a handful of important contributors on defense, including linebacker Langston Patterson and linebacker/safety CJ Taylor. Vanderbilt also brought in quality transfers on that side of the ball like linebacker/safety Randon Fontenette, pass-rusher Khordae Sydnor and defensive back Kolbey Taylor.
Perhaps the biggest X-factor, though, is the return of linebacker Prince Kollie. Kollie transferred from Notre Dame prior to the 2023 season, but he missed that whole year while dealing with the after-effects of a concussion. Now healthy, he could add even more upside to the defense.
ESTES:For Clark Lea, it was a ‘reinvigorating’ spring with new-look Vanderbilt football | Estes
Vanderbilt has made it known it isn’t done making transfer portal additions. Already, two offensive linemen have committed during the spring window.
It’s harder, but not impossible, to find quality transfers in the spring. The Commodores won’t be able to take anyone who leaves another SEC school − the deadline for that has passed − but players from other conferences and FCS schools are fair game. Most players who are available in the portal at this point in the season are leaving because they don’t see a clear path to playing time at their current location, but Vanderbilt may also be able to find quality grad transfers who stuck around to get their degrees.
Several players have also entered the portal from the Commodores, but outside of offensive lineman Leyton Nelson, none of those players have seen significant snaps.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
