Vanderbilt football: An SEC contender for years to come

Vanderbilt football has been one of the most surprising stories of the 2024 college football season so far. With a record of 5-3, the Commodores have already surpassed their projected 3.5 win total set in the pre-season by FanDuel, and there are still four games left on their schedule.

With permanent changes to NIL and the transfer portal the past few years in college football, we are seeing that the playing field has been leveled and schools like Vanderbilt have been able to not only contend more on a weekly basis, but defeat schools they routinely would struggle with in the Virginia Tech Hokies and Alabama Crimson Tide.

In addition to these changes that have leveled the playing field, head coach Clark Lea needs to be commended for inserting himself back to calling the plays on defense for the first time since 2022 which was the Commodore’s best season until this during his tenure.

The Commodores would finish 5-7 in 2022 before regressing to 2-10 in 2023 with Lea stepping back. Not only has Lea re-inserted himself on the defensive side of the ball, but he also was humble enough to bring in former Minnesota Golden Gophers and New Mexico State Aggies head coach, Jerry Kill.

Kill has had sustained success as a head coach at each of his two previous stops and had to step down from each due to health reasons. In Nashville, he has been serving as a Chief Consultant to Lea but is seen weekly on the sideline which essentially gives the Commodores two head coaches.

While many have pointed out quarterback Diego Pavia’s play being the main catalyst for the success of the Commodores after following Kill over from New Mexico State, there may be another reason that will be more prominent in the long run, which could keep the team towards the top of the SEC standings for many years to come.

The city of Nashville sets Vanderbilt Football up for sustained success in the SEC

With the NCAA allowing the avenue of NIL, this allows players to be paid for their name, image and likeness. Beyond the university, both companies and individuals may contribute monetarily through endorsement deals, or paying players directly through other avenues.

Out of the 16 teams in the SEC, Vanderbilt is one of only two schools that reside in larger cities within the United States with the Texas Longhorns being the other. Being in the city of Nashville gives the Commodores more potential direct exposure to big time companies and individuals in the area. Other schools that have been atop the SEC for a while such as Alabama, Georgia and LSU do not have the luxury of being in a larger city and the same amount of access in that regard. While Athens is close to Atlanta, and Baton Rouge is close to New Orleans, they are still not right next door necessarily and definitely not within city limits.

While these other schools mentioned as examples may find ways to sustain their own success, it will not necessarily be because of the luxury of being in a larger city, because that they are not.

Vanderbilt alumni earn 142% more than the average college graduate, setting the school up well for NIL contributions

In addition to location, Vanderbilt is the most expensive school to attend in the SEC. Known for their medical and law programs, income of the alumni base according to www.collegesimply.com is $83,100 just 10 years after graduation which is 142% higher than the national average.

With alumni making more on the average than any other SEC school, this could come into play as well. Alumni that decide to pay players legally through means of NIL could benefit a school like Vanderbilt more than any other SEC schools simply due to the amount they make.

Of course, whether or not Vanderbilt fans, boosters and alumni decide to contribute a significant enough amount to keep the program relevant will also depend on how many resources the university decides to put into athletics. At present, Vanderbilt is the only SEC school without an actual athletic department.