Clark Lea Believes Vanderbilt's Bowl Win Is 'First Step' in Building Towards Success
Vanderbilt had one of the best seasons they've had in a long time.
When James Franklin left after winning nine games in 2013, the Commodores had yet to finish above .500 until Clark Lea accomplished that feat this year.
For many programs in the SEC, reaching that milestone is expected to happen at the midpoint of the campaign, but for Vanderbilt, a team that has been the doormat of this conference for over a decade, celebrating this 7-6 record is something that has everyone in Nashville fired up.
Their win over Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl was also a little preview of what could come.
The Commodores lost their final three games of the regular season which took a lot of shine off what they had previously accomplished before that stretch, and because they were facing a Yellow Jackets team that took Georgia to the brink in their finale, not a lot of people thought Vanderbilt could win.
But, like they did all year, they proved the doubters wrong, and with Diego Pavia accounting for all five of their touchdowns and being granted another season of eligibility, the future is looking bright.
Lea believes that victory has this program heading in the right direction.
"I think tonight's a first step, and I'm really interested to see where we can take this," he said after the game.
The most obvious next step is landing more high-profile players in the transfer portal, something they have done a great job of doing so far.
But when looking at the big picture, like Lea is doing since he's trying to build something sustainable in Nashville, any success they have will translate to future success since they will no longer be viewed as a "last resort" for certain players in SEC country.
Instead, if they are able to compete in the conference on an annual basis, they could become a destination for student-athletes who are looking to play football at a high level and get a world-class education.
This was the first success story Vanderbilt has really had under Lea, and after the difficult first three years, he is glad the tide is starting to turn.
"This story wouldn't be the same without the adversity we've faced. For everything that we want to be judged for in the first three years, we wouldn't be here without that. So I'm proud of the fight that this program has shown, the staff that stayed with us, the people that have stayed and believed in what we're doing," he added.
