Derek Mason completed his second preseason camp as head coach at Vanderbilt, and the team is upbeat that it can rebound from an underwhelming first season under his direction.

So before we switch gears to the season opener against Western Kentucky, which kicks off on Thursday, let’s take a look back at five of the biggest developments from Vanderbilt’s preseason camp:

1. The coaches are keeping the quarterback choice quiet: Vanderbilt has yet to publicly announce a choice for its starting quarterback. And it probably won’t. Much of the discussion heading into Vanderbilt’s fall camp was about finding a long-term solution at quarterback after announced starter Patton Robinette decided to retire from football to pursue medical school following spring practice. After starting four quarterbacks last season, Mason has vowed to try to find one guy and stick with him this year. As camp progressed, the competition seemingly narrowed to sophomores Johnny McCrary and Wade Freebeck, with regarded true freshman Kyle Shurmur probably just a little to new to the playbook to count on as a starter.

2. An average of 20 touches per game for Ralph Webb: Webb, who set the Vanderbilt record for rushing yards by a freshman in 2014, was the one clear weapon that new offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig inherited with the job. The former Wisconsin OC is coming off two years with first-round draft pick Melvin Gordon as his primary running back. Gordon carried the ball 549 times in 27 games under Ludwig, for an average of 20.3 carries per game. So it makes sense that Ludwig has prescribed 20 carries per game as the right amount for Webb.

“That needs to be an average,” Ludwig said. “It could be high one game and a little lower the next, but I think 20 touches per game would be a good number for a player like Ralph.”

3. There will be a new starting left tackle: Unfortunately, a season-ending injury to incumbent left tackle Andrew Jelks necessitated this change. According to both Mason and Ludwig, last year’s starting right tackle, Will Holden, is likely to slide over to left tackle and fill that role this season. Given that left tackle is considered as perhaps the most important spot on the line because of the quarterback’s vulnerability to an edge rush from his blindside, it makes sense to move the most experienced option there. If this is the direction Vanderbilt goes, it will open up Holden’s right tackle position for some youngsters to compete for playing time this fall.

4. Nigel Bowden is ready to be a vocal leader: Bowden turned some heads with his instincts and tackling ability as a starter at inside linebacker last season. On top of leading the team in tackles, Mason saw some leadership qualities in Bowden and challenged him to become a vocal leader of the defense as a sophomore.

“He really has tried to deepen his voice. He’s become a loud and powerful guy out there,” senior defensive end Caleb Azubike told The Tennessean’s Adam Sparks. “You can definitely hear him when he talks. You’ll almost be able to hear him from the stands.

“His voice has become so stern that you almost feel that you have to listen to him when he talks.”

5. True freshmen are likely to play: Not that this is anything new, per se, but Derek Mason reiterated his propensity to stay away from planned redshirt seasons for incoming freshmen. He wants to ensure that all of the freshmen are engaged and preparing as though they will see the field this fall. If the redshirt happens, so be it, but they aren’t likely to hold a kid out of game action for the sake preserving an extra season. It is a philosophy that he likely picked up while coaching at Stanford, which also shies away from using the “redshirt” term in reference to first-year players.