With other programs sniffing around the man who helped revive what was once a pushover in the SEC, Vanderbilt has locked down its head coach for the foreseeable future.
On Friday, the school announced it has signed coach Clark Lea to a contract extension. Terms of the deal were not disclosed and Vanderbilt, a private school, is not beholden to public records requests. A report from The Athletic stated that the extension is a 6-year deal.
The same report from The Athletic revealed that Lea recently interviewed with Florida for the Gators’ open head coaching position. He had also been mentioned for the Penn State job, among others.
Lea, a Vandy alum, is in his fifth season with the program and has ushered in a historic rise.
According to the USA Today salary database, it is estimated that Lea was paid $3.7 million this season by the school, a figure that would rank last among SEC coaches. Jeff Lebby made $4.35 million at Mississippi State. Every other coach in the league made more than $6.7 million.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Friday morning that Lea will get a “significant” salary increase in addition to financial commitments for his assistant coaching staff and Vanderbilt facilities. In a statement from the school, Lea hinted at those same commitments being key to continuing Vandy’s upward momentum.
“I am excited to be able to continue the work we started at Vanderbilt 5 years ago,” Lea said in a release from the school. “Throughout the process of working through this extension, I have been overwhelmed with 2 feelings. First, a sense of pride in the culture and environment we have established at Vanderbilt. Second, a sense of clarity that the work is not complete. This next phase of the program build will introduce many exciting things, including facility upgrades and needed resources for our staff and team. These investments will go a long way in ensuring our program can level up.
“I am grateful to have leadership from Chancellor (Daniel) Diermeier and (athletic director Candice Storey) Lee, who clear the way for our success. Our vision has never been about 1 or 2 seasons, rather, it has always been about sustained success at a championship level. I am thrilled to be able to continue the mission, and I appreciate all the support from Commodore Nation and our Nashville community.”
After a pair of 2-10 campaigns that bookended the first 3 years of his tenure, Lea has turned things around in a major way since the start of the 2024 season. Vandy went 7-6 last year, making the program’s first bowl appearance since 2018 and winning its first bowl game since 2013.
This year, the Commodores are 9-2. They face Tennessee on Saturday in pursuit of the program’s first-ever 10-win season. At No. 14 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, Vanderbilt also has an outside shot at reaching the CFP for the first time ever.
Lea was named the SEC Coach of the Year last season, when Vanderbilt stunned then-No. 1 Alabama for the program’s first-ever win over an AP top-5 team. This season, the Commodores have beaten 3 AP top-15 teams — a school record — and surged into the AP Top 10 for the first time since 1947.
“Clark Lea’s success is demonstrating what we believe is possible for Vanderbilt football and the entire university,” Diermeier said in a statement.
Lea is the second SEC head coach in as many days to land a contract extension from his respective school, joining Mizzou’s Eli Drinkwitz.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
