Clark Lea says Vanderbilt has what it takes to ‘play into January’
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Clark Lea has big expectations for Vanderbilt in 2025.
Lea doesn’t care about Vandy’s lack of historical success on the gridiron because he believes in the program he’s methodically building, and he believes this particular Vanderbilt team can do those big things in 2025.
With his 5th season in Nashville fast approaching, Clark Lea stepped to the podium at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Monday and told reporters something that not many past Vanderbilt football coaches have ever uttered. Lea, who finally got his first head coaching chance at Vanderbilt after numerous stops as an assistant, is only 16-33 in his first 4 seasons in Nashville. That includes 2 2-win seasons and only 1 winning season, which came last year when the Commodores barely snuck over .500 at 7-6.
But there was a buzz last season at Vanderbilt, with the arrival of transfer quarterback Diego Pavia, who has developed into a star. And there was a huge moment last season at Vanderbilt, maybe the best moment in Vandy football history, when the Commodores stunned No. 1 Alabama and sent Nashville into a delirious celebration.
So, this is no normal situation for Vanderbilt football, and Lea confirmed that by telling reporters on Monday that he believes the 2025 team has the tools to still be playing into January. Translate that and it means Lea believes Vanderbilt has College Football Playoff potential. By January, Vanderbilt sports fans have usually descended into full-blown basketball mode. But Lea thinks it could all be different this time around.
“We believe we have what it takes to play into January,” Lea said. “We have to support our belief with a disciplined focus in the present. The burden of our goals is the pressure of knowing we can’t afford to have an off night. We can’t afford to have a lackluster effort or unfocused snap.”
His words on Monday were big and bold, but the 43-year-old Lea wasn’t shying away from telling everyone at SEC Media Days exactly what he believed.
For Lea, beating Alabama last fall is only the beginning.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
