Clark Lea Wins Second Coach of the Year Award

Vanderbilt’s head coach got his second national award this season.

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea celebrates their victory over Auburn after the game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt football head coach Clark Lea got another honor for his coaching effort over the 2025 season.

Lea was named the 2025 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America and the Allstate Sugar Bowl Tuesday afternoon. The news comes just days after Lea was named the 2025 SEC Coach of the Year. Lea will receive a bust of Eddie Robinson at a reception in Miami on Jan. 17, 2026.

Lea’s recognition from how he has coached this fall is well-deserved. Lea has done one of the best coaching jobs in the sport over the past two seasons. Between 2024 and 2025, Lea has turned his team that was 2-10 in 2023 to a team that is now 10-2 in 2025. His leadership and coaching has helped Vanderbilt get a spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Iowa Dec. 31.

Lea has coached his team to history, with Vanderbilt getting to 10 wins in a season for the first time in program history in addition to the three victories against AP Top 15 teams. The 6-2 record in the SEC is also the best that Vanderbilt has ever done in conference play.

Lea’s use of recruiting through high school and especially the transfer portal has played a major factor in how and where Lea has brought his team to where it is today. Between the 2023 and 2024 season, Lea brought in guys like quarterback Diego Pavia and tight end Eli Stowers to help transform the outlook of the program.

Lea has coached Vanderbilt to a combined 17-8 record over the last two seasons. In 2024, Lea coached Vanderbilt to a 7-6 record and the program’s first bowl victory since 2013 with a 35-27 win over Georgia Tech in the Birmingham Bowl.

Lea’s performance in the way he has changed not just the trajectory of Vanderbilt football, but also the culture and the perception of the program all culminated over Thanksgiving week in which Lea signed a six-year contract extension Nov. 28 to stay in Nashville.

The culture and the attitude of Vanderbilt football over the past couple years is something to certainly take note of. It is nothing short of impressive how Lea’s belief and vision has poured into the players. The culture change has been palpable and clear as day and it has proven that Vanderbilt is a different program than what it was just a few short years ago.

Lea will attempt to coach his team to an 11th win on New Year’s Eve as his Commodores take on the Iowa Hawkeyes at 11 a.m. CT.