Yeah I know, they have been bottom of the barrel SEC school, but they almost had the Tigers number last year, with Mizzou edging them out 17-14 at Faurot.
That was a game that was a little too close for comfort.
While 2022 showed progress for Vandy, moving from a 2-10 record in 2021 to going 5-7 in 2022 with wins over #24 Kentucky in Lexington and Florida.
They also put up a fight against South Carolina.
Clark Lea enters his third season at his alma mater in 2023. The 2022 season saw the continued development of Vanderbilt football, as the Commodores more than doubled their win total from the season prior and won multiple Southeastern Conference games for the first time since 2018.
The Commodores were the least penalized team in the SEC, drawing just 63 flags.
Vandy is returning seasoned QB AJ Swann who capped afreshman season completing 58.1-percent of passes for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions
1,274 passing yards as a freshman are the fourth-most in Vanderbilt history, trailing only the rookie seasons of Ken Seals, John Gromos and Jay Cutler (and he missed 2 games to injury)
He threw the fewest interceptions of any FBS true freshman with at least 200 drop backs on the season, with five fewer than the next closest quarterback
OC: Joey Lynch, a veteran quarterback coach and prolific passer in his own playing days, has been at Vanderbilt since 2021 and serves as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
DC: Nick Howell joined the Vanderbilt football staff in January 2022 and serves as defensive coordinator. His debut Commodore defense capitalized on opportunities, scoring four defensive touchdowns on the season. That total led the SEC and ranked 12th nationally.
Again, while I know they are typically at the bottom of the SEC, they are showing signs of moving the program in the right direction.
Vandy is making significant upgrades to their stadium and facilities:
http://vucommodores.com/vanderbilt-unveils-renderings/
It won't be an easy SEC road game. Period.