Vanderbilt Commodores on Right Path Under Clark Lea After Birmingham Bowl Win
The 2024 college football season was a special one for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
After so many years of disappointing performances on the gridiron, they finally broke through.
Head coach Clark Lea overhauled the program in the offseason and improved results were immediate.
The team became bowl-eligible on Nov. 2 with a victory on the road over the Auburn Tigers, improving to 6-2 as they were ranked for the first time since the 2013 campaign. One of those six victories also came against the Alabama Crimson Tide, who were ranked No. 1 at the time, and fell to the Commodores for the first time in 40 years.
Alas, the rest of the regular season from that point on was a struggle as injuries caught up with the team.
Overall, the roster just looked worn out.
Vanderbilt was handled with ease in their following game by the South Carolina Gamecocks before heading on the road and losing to the reeling LSU Tigers.
In their regular season finale, the Commodores faced off against their rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers, and suffered a similar outcome; their third consecutive defeat.
In 2023, the team finished the year on a 10-game losing streak.
While three isn’t as bad, it certainly wasn’t the kind of close Lea and his staff were hoping for.
They had a few weeks to rest up and prepare for the Birmingham Bowl against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who, like Vanderbilt, was one of the pleasant surprises during this campaign by going 7-5 with some impressive victories of their own.
It certainly wasn’t going to be an easy task, especially with players entering the transfer portal ahead of the game, but the Commodores had plenty of motivation.
A victory would mean their first winning season since 2013, the last with James Franklin as head coach before he left for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
That was also the last time the program won a bowl game, until this year.
Vanderbilt was victorious over the Yellow Jackets, 35-27, in a matchup that lived up to expectations.
Both star quarterbacks, Diego Pavia and Haynes King, made some big plays throughout, combining for 457 yards and eight touchdowns.
For Lea, this proved it is possible to build a successful program in a loaded SEC despite being at a disadvantage in multiple areas.
The changes he made paid dividends right away, completing their first winning season in 11 years.
The future is certainly bright in Nashville, as things are turning around and heading in the right direction.
The head coach will have a chance to do something only Franklin has done since Arthur Guepe from 1957-1959; produce a winning record in back-to-back seasons.
