Clark Lea has built something extremely impressive during his time as head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores.
For a program whose recent high-water mark was seemingly two 9-4 seasons in a row under James Franklin in 2012 and 2013, Lea has certainly raised the bar in Nashville.
The Commodores went 2-10 in his first season in 2021, 5-7 in 2022 and 2-10 in 2023 . In 2024, they went 7-6 but beat the No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and played the No. 5 Texas Longhorns to a three-point loss.
Last season, Lea’s team went 10-3 and was ranked as high as No. 9 in the AP Poll at one point. Vandy beat No. 10 LSU and No. 15 Missouri in back-to-back games and again played ranked Texas to a three-point loss.
Vanderbilt has seemingly arrived at a point of legitimacy, but Lea was clear on Tuesday at SEC Media Days that the Commodores will not rest on their laurels.
“Progress is not the destination; last season was not an arrival; it was simply another step in the climb,” Lea said, according to Brian Jones of On3. “Our objective remains what it’s always been: to build the best football program in the country. And while progress is encouraging, complacency is dangerous. The moment we turn to protect the ground we covered, we stop our pursuit of what’s possible at Vanderbilt. We must be willing to risk what we are for what we could become.”
Clark Lea believes Vanderbilt Commodores have learned how to win
Part of Vanderbilt’s success during this run was the play of quarterback Diego Pavia. He was a Heisman Trophy contender after throwing for 3,539 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games.
Tight end Eli Stowers was also a big part of Vandy’s growth with his 769 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Both players are now in the NFL. Stowers was selected in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, and Pavia is now trying to make the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
Roster churn happens, and that’s especially true in the NIL and transfer portal era. With that said, Lea is confident that he can keep this thing going at Vanderbilt, and that’s because he’s established a culture.
“Naturally, people want to compare this team to last year’s team,” Lea said. “While there are similarities, there are also important differences. Different players, different coaches, different leaders, different personalities, different strengths, different challenges. Despite these differences, this group has inherited something that previous teams did not: a Vanderbilt football program that expects to win.”
Notably, the over/under for Vanderbilt wins in 2026 is 5.5. One would imagine that Lea has no intention of being anywhere near only five wins when all is said and done.
