Clark Lea realized he needed to make big changes to help his Vanderbilt Commodores compete in a larger and more challenging Southeastern Conference.
Entering his fourth season, Lea put his alma mater through a major overhaul. He acknowledged that the program had fallen behind in using the transfer portal and in helping athletes get endorsement deals.
“I’m proud of efforts we made to position our program to get back on track,” Lea said.
Lea had little choice after Vanderbilt finished 2-10 for the second time during his tenure. His record stands at 9-27 after leaving his job as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame to try to revive the program he supported as a fan before playing for the Commodores.
He has taken over the defense, significantly revamped his roster, and brought in a new offensive coordinator along with other new coaches for his staff.
The challenge is that Vanderbilt hasn’t had a winning record since going 9-4 in 2013, when James Franklin left for Penn State.
Lea now has 53 new players on the roster, bringing the total to 120. This is an increase from 98 when he started coaching in 2021, with 106 of these players specifically recruited to play here. Lea initially focused on finding players who could be developed for long-term success, but the college game has changed.
“Our challenge now is to uphold our righteous standards while embracing a more short-term strategy of winning football,” Lea said. “This is the reality of our game now, what winning requires of us.”
