Vanderbilt Football: Can Derek Mason and Kyle Shurmur win in 2018?
Offense
Kyle Shurmur is going to be the engine of the Commodores offense. Shurmur has grown into the role sitting out the first six games of his freshman season back in 2015 and slowly progressing into a star in Nashville. In football the quarterback has to work hard, be intelligent, and lead the team. At 6-foot-4, 227-pounds Shurmur is NFL prototype size and has improved his game.
In 2017, Shurmur completed 57.9 percent of his passes averaging 7.4 yards per attempt. He tossed 26 touchdowns while throwing for 2,823 yards with only ten interceptions. If Shurmur can cut down on the turnovers and increase his yards per attempt to over eight, he will have a shot at not only winning ball games in the SEC, but also a shot at being drafted into the NFL in 2019.
Supporting Cast
The issue for Vandy and Shurmur is that the Commodores have lost some of their top skill talent from 2017. The Vanderbilt offense has to replace their leading rusher and three of the top five receivers from a year ago. Ralph Webb ran for 831 yards and 10 touchdowns and will be replaced by Khari Blasingame. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Blasingame is a converted linebacker who has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over his career. Underclassman Jamauri Wakefield and true freshman JaVeon Marlow will fight for carries.
At receiver, the picture is a little less clear. Trent Sherfield, CJ Duncan, and Ralph Webb have taken 2,000 yards and 11 touchdowns with them. Kalija Lipscomb will become Shurmur’s go-to target in 2018. Lipscomb caught 37 balls for 610 yards and eight touchdowns last season while averaging 16.6 yards per catch. Starting tight end Jared Pinkney also returns after catching three touchdowns from Shurmur last season.
It’ll be interesting to see what the young receivers like 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman James Bostic can do, as well as true freshman four-star Camron Johnson from nearby Brentwood. The offensive line returns experienced veterans with four juniors or seniors on the starting line-up.