Over the course of the next several weeks, the SoBros Network crew will be going around the landscape of the SEC, team by team, previewing the upcoming American tackle football season. Up next, our 2021 Vanderbilt preview!
2021 Vanderbilt Preview
Stagnant offense and putrid defense that led to an 0-9 season in 2020 – ultimately, it all caught up with Derek Mason, who was canned after seven years with the team. Enter new head coach Clark Lea, the former defensive coordinator for Notre Dame, who has a whale of a job to do in Nashville. To say that Vanderbilt struggled to score points in 2020 would be an understatement. They were awful – they averaged 6.6 yards per throw, and couldn’t get anything going on the ground. Lea brought in new offensive coordinator David Raih to help with that, and I love the move. Raih has experience coaching receivers in the NFL, and should provide a fresh perspective. It’s a pivot in the golden age of just hiring someone that coached at Alabama or Clemson. And, between WR Cam Johnson, WR Amir Abdur-Rahim, and TE Ben Bresnahan, there are some intriguing pieces for Lea and Raih to work with. Obviously the biggest question is at the quarterback position, but I’ll say that the ‘Dores are better off than some teams with Ken Seals. There could be a battle between Seals and Mike Wright, who is a little more dynamic, but I like the moxie Seals showed in a totally meaningless season down the stretch in 2020.
New defensive coordinator Jesse Minter comes from the Baltimore Ravens organization after coaching their defensive backs. If he and Lea implement a style that’s anywhere near that Irish defense or that Ravens defense from a season ago, it’ll provide a real spark on that side of the ball. This defense needs to be more disruptive, but this is a regime that can do it from a schematic standpoint and that’s what it’s all about. There’s going to be turnover on this defensive roster, and I can’t quite say who “the guy” is going to be in 2021 (CB Jaylen Mahoney, Jr.?). But, I love the body of work that Lea had at Notre Dame, and I’m with the Minter hire. This is a good, and different, coaching staff.
All in all, Lea absolutely has his hands full with a monstrous rebuild of a program that is hard to win with. It should be a sort of “stop the bleeding” reset. Stabilize the roster, install the new scheme and ideals, and see what happens from there. But, they have the quarterback to do that, and dare I say, it can’t get much worse than Mason’s last year. I think there’s good reason for optimism among Vandy fans.
2021 Commodores Schedule
Saturday, 9/4: vs. ETSU – There should be no problem winning this one. If there is, the Clark Lea era is going to get off to a rocky start.
Saturday, 9/11: @ Colorado State – This is a big one, as Vanderbilt hasn’t won a road game against an FBS opponent since 2018. They absolutely have to get this one, and they have the talent to do so. 2-0 would be a solid start.
Saturday, 9/18: vs. Stanford – It’s not going to be easy, but it’s possible. Getting this one at home helps tremendously.
Saturday, 9/25: vs. Georgia – Georgia may be the only team in the SEC East that has legitimate College Football Playoff hopes. It would be a monumental upset for Vanderbilt to pull this one off.
Saturday, 10/2: vs. UConn – If the ‘Dores want any hope of going bowling in 2021, they have to get this one. They should, anyway.
Saturday, 10/9: @ Florida – I think Florida is in for a bit of a regression this season, but not a losing-to-Vanderbilt-at-home level of regression.
Saturday, 10/16: @ South Carolina – The Gamecocks are rebuilding in their own right, and while that could make them susceptible for an upset here, I tend to go with the home team in toss-ups like this one.
Saturday, 10/23: vs. Mississippi State – The Bulldogs are going to be a total wild card in the SEC this season. They could be awesome. They could be bottom-feeders. I’ve seen some predict that this is going to be Vandy’s first SEC win in quite some time. I’ll just say this – I won’t be surprised either way. I’m still leaning Bulldogs as we sit here in June.
Saturday, 10/30: vs. Missouri – I may be on an island with this one, but the Tigers are on the upswing. I don’t see Mizzou losing this one, and happen to think they could end up being the 2nd best team in the SEC East in 2021.
Saturday, 11/6: BYE
Saturday, 11/13: vs. Kentucky – The Wildcats are another wild card in the SEC this year. If ever there was a year for this program to step up and make a run at an SEC East title, this is it. It’ll be a difficult game for Vandy to win.
Saturday, 11/20: @ Ole Miss – Frankly, I just don’t see it. I think Ole Miss is going to be pretty explosive in 2021, and that kind of dynamic doesn’t bode well for a team that’s struggling to regain its footing. This is actually one of four certain losses I’m giving Vanderbilt as things stand here in June.
Saturday, 11/27: @ Tennessee – Being on the road for this one hurts ’em, for sure. Vols Twitter is going to come at me for this one, but I don’t really have a ton of faith in that program right now. Tennessee is the more talented team, and they’re playing at home, so I still think they win, but I won’t be surprised to see and experienced Commodores team push the Vols in Knoxville.
Prediction
Best case scenario: this team starts 4-1, and then has to win two of these games to get into a bowl game: South Carolina, Mississippi State, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Is that likely? No, but the SEC East is going to be baby shit soft this season. So, I’m actually going to say it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for this to be a bowl team – that’s how much I like this coaching staff. Like I said, I think there’s reason for optimism among the Vandy fan base, but it might be a little too naive to expect Lea to turn this program around in 2021. I’m thinking a respectable and feisty 4-8 or 5-7.
OTHER SEC 2021 SEASON PREVIEWS
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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