Clark Lea Finalist for Another Coaching Award: The Anchor
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Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea is up for another 2025 coaching award.
Monday, it was announced by the Maxwell Football Club that Lea is a finalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award. It is the third coaching award that Lea is a candidate for. He is also up for Walter Camp Football Bowl Subdivision and American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year Awards.
Lea is one of four finalists. He is joined by Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire and Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko. Lea has earned his way to being a finalist for the award. Lea has coached his team to the program’s first-ever 10 win season with a record of 10-2.
Over the past two seasons, Lea has done what few have done: turn a program that was 2-10 to a team that is 10-2 was in the conversation for the College Football Playoff. Vanderbilt’s 6-2 record in SEC play this season was the most wins in conference play in program history.
The 2025 season has been a season full of history for Vanderbilt. The Commodores beat three different top 15 teams at the time the games were played. With their performance, they also reached an AP Top 10 ranking for the first time since 1947. The job that Lea did this season led him to getting a six-year contract extension with the program, effectively paving the future for the program.
Lea’s coaching effort this season landed Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl against the No. 23 Iowa Hawkeyes on Dec. 31. Vanderbilt looks to continue its shattering of program records in pursuit of its 11th win of the season at 11 a.m. CT on New Year’s Eve.
Today’s Commodores Schedule
There are no games scheduled this weekend.
This Weekend’s Commodores Results Today
There were no games scheduled yesterday.
Did You Notice?
Vanderbilt men’s tennis released its spring schedule for the upcoming semester. The Commodores will begin the spring at home with a double-header on Jan. 14 against Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech.
Vanderbilt’s SEC schedule begins on the road in Starkville against Mississippi State on Feb. 21 before returning home for a match against in-state rival Tennessee.
Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2026 Baseball Season Opener
70 days
Commodores Quote of The Day
“Those thoughts of winning and the torturous thinking of winning is more debilitating than prospering. I’ve found it not to be healthy in so many different ways.”Tim Corbin
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.