The Commodores may have been the butt of all SEC jokes throughout the spring on offense, but this team should be able to surpass last season’s win total in 2015 thanks to a couple returning studs on defense and vital coaching staff moves made during the offseason.

Derek Mason’s on a short leash coming off a winless conference season considering Vanderbilt’s football program was arguably at an all-time high when he took the job following James Franklin’s successful tenure. The second-year coach has done a great job of keeping his players focused on improvement despite the obvious lack of respect around the league.

He convinced three four-star players to sign with Commodores in February and believes the proper pieces are in place to begin Vanderbilt’s rebuild this season.

Time will tell.

STRENGTHS

  • The front seven: The Commodores have a plethora of interior strength and edge linebackers heading into the season, a group that dominated the first team offense during the final scrimmage in March. Nigel Bowden, Caleb Azubike and Stephen Weatherly are each All-SEC caliber tacklers who will headline an ultra-athletic unit. Mason’s move to defensive coordinator is a plus and should make the Commodores more aggressive thanks to the ‘Stanford 3-4 approach’ utilizing several rush linebackers.
  • Ralph Webb: If you put this guy behind the offensive lines at Alabama, Georgia or Auburn, he’s a 1,300-yard rusher approaching 20 total touchdowns this season. Webb did a lot with very little last fall on the SEC’s worst offense, managing 907 yards rushing on 212 carries despite the Commodores as a unit averaging just 288.3 yards per game. He took it easy this spring as Vanderbilt’s best player and will be the focal point of Andy Ludwig’s power-heavy scheme this fall. If the Commodores can save a few carries every Saturday with the help Darrius Sims and wrecking ball Dallas Rivers, Webb could explode for a 1,000-yard season as a sophomore.
  • Veteran offensive line: Vanderbilt welcomes back four starters up front along an offensive line that underachieved for various reasons last fall, one of the biggest being Karl Dorrell’s offensive system and play-calling simply not fitting the personnel in Nashville. In order to establish any semblance of a respectable offense, this group has to perform at a high level according to Mason. The unit performed well as a whole during spring practice before taking a step back in the Black & Gold Game after giving up seven sacks. Ludwig wasn’t sure why, but was not pleased. With the quarterback spot in question, controlling the line of scrimmage with veteran leadership is Vanderbilt’s top priority in 2015.

WEAKNESSES

  • Overall lack of playmakers offensively: Much of last season’s ineptitude on offense was placed on quarterbacks and rightfully so considering boundless inconsistency at the position, but Vanderbilt’s lineup of inexperienced wide receivers were a mixed bag as well. It was a struggle locating a true No. 1 which ultimately became tight end Steven Scheu by season’s end. Latevius Rayford has ability and started 10 games last season, but route-running was a question that the junior pass-catcher tried to improve during the spring. C.J. Duncan has the look of a top target and Ludwig plans to shift him around a bit (at tailback too) this fall to get his hands on the football.