Top 10 college football teams desperately needing great spring practice
By Logan Shaw
Nov 29, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores defensive lineman Adam Butler (69) and linebacker Nigel Bowden (52) celebrate after sacking Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Josh Dobbs (11) during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Vanderbilt Commodores
Oh, Vandy… Where to begin?
A few years ago, Vanderbilt began its first run of national relevancy since before World War I. They were winning games, beating rivals, and they were getting to a bowl game every season.
Then, when Penn State’s Bill O’Brien left for the Houston Texans, a position came open that former Vanderbilt head coach, James Franklin, couldn’t turn down. Franklin and staff left Vanderbilt in dismay, and they never looked back.
Vanderbilt was left with a vacancy at all staff positions, besides special teams coordinator, with less than a month to go before National Signing Day. Vanderbilt seriously entertained two coaches that off-season, and they chose to hire the former Stanford defensive coordinator, Derek Mason, as their new head coach.
For the first time, basically, Vanderbilt fans had optimism. They were optimistic losing Franklin wouldn’t hurt them. Franklin was a good motivator and such, but Mason was a great coach. We couldn’t possibly fail. Oh, how naive I was…
Mason’s first year as the Commodore coach resulted in a three win season. The Commodores missed post season play for the first time since 2010, and they lost to their hated in-state rival, Tennessee, for the first time since 2012.
Vanderbilt fans, due to their newly found hope, called for Mason’s head, and weren’t successful. However, change did happen. Vanderbilt fired both coordinators from their disappointing 2014 campaign. Mason appointed himself to coach the defense, and he also went out and hired the newly jobless offensive coordinator, Andy Ludwig, from Wisconsin.
Going into this spring, Vanderbilt is left with many questions. Who’s going to start at quarterback? Can we play any worse?
If Vanderbilt hopes to regain the momentum lost in 2014, they’ll need a stronger spring than most other teams in the country to step back towards conference relevancy.
Next: Michigan Wolverines