Everything Vanderbilt Coach Clark Lea Said After First Spring Practice

Vanderbilt’s football program had a hugely successful 2024 season and will look to build upon that success next season. That process began Tuesday when the Commodores held their first spring practice.

Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea saw plenty of things that need to be cleaned up and improved, which isn’t surprising. Anyone who has played on a team knows the first practice is far from perfect.

Lea met with media members after the Commodores’ first practice. Here’s everything the second-year coach said:

Lea’s opening statement:

All right, great to be back out in the field. You know, we've been working through the winter OTAs. I think we've had a really good winter. I'm pleased with the physical progress. I think we've been able to onboard a lot of our new players, whether that's early enrollees, freshmen, or transfers. Those guys are fitting right into what we're doing. But today looked like the first day of practice. We've got a lot to clean up in terms of our standards for operation, the transitions, and the intensity we take to our work. But on the whole, it was good for the first day, and I was pleased with the spirit the guys brought. I think it was exciting for them. We'll look forward to getting back on the field on Thursday and having a great start to our spring work. Pleased with where we are, excited for where we're headed, and just got to focus day in and day out on getting a little bit better.

Lea on his decision to name a new defensive coordinator:

I think a lot of it had to do with paying attention a year ago to where I felt like I was effective and where I felt like I lost some effectiveness. When you look at the defensive coordinator position, especially for where our program is and what we need from the head coach while we're still trying to build something—when I was just a D-coordinator, I would spend hours a week doing that job. When you call a play, you want the process to lead to that play, and to be immersed in that process is really important for that position. As the year wore on, it felt more and more like there were gaps in my preparation that I was having to catch up to late in the week. This is all about efficiency of operation, and I felt like Steve Gregory was ready to take on that responsibility. I have a lot of trust in him. I've trained him in our system and process for a year. We had room to be better, and though we improved defensively last year, we had some gaps in our performance, and I want to see improvement this year. Steve’s going to be leading the charge to make those improvements.

Lea on the role Senior Defensive Analyst Bob Shoop:

At this point, everyone in the room is a coach. Bob is a great connector and has a connection to Vanderbilt. From the jump, I've wanted to bring people in that don't see the cracks in the cup or the challenges here but see the opportunities. Bob is a great example of that. His previous time here was marked by a lot of success on the field, great defense played, and winning. His attitude toward Vanderbilt is that this is the best place in the world, and he and I are in lockstep on that. What we bring in Bob is someone with a ton of experience as a play-caller. He’s got a great coordinator’s mind. I’m still going to be in that room, and I think that’s important for me but also for Steve to have the support of someone who’s been through it. When I’m called away, there’s another big-picture mind in that room. We have a great staff—Nick Lazinski, Melvin Rice, our D-line coaches Javon and Larry. It’s a really good group of guys. Bob brings that extra layer of experience as a play-caller that will be a great support to Steve.

Lea on promoting Nick Lazinski to co-defensive coordinator:

Nick and I have been together for a long time, so there’s a lot of trust built there. He cares a lot about what we’re building here. He had opportunities this offseason but has done a great job with that linebacker room. That’s become a real strength for us—the depth, the quality of depth, the personalities, and the engagement in that room are a testament to his leadership. Ultimately, Nick has aspirations to be a coordinator, and he needs to take that next step and continue to expand his big-picture vision. He’ll take on specific scripting responsibilities and organize certain unit drill sets. Steve operates more as a backend guy, and Nick will be an important connector from back end to front end. I’ve got a ton of experience with Nick, a ton of trust in him. He’s a really smart coach, a very skilled leader, and such a positive member of our staff.

Lea on if the defensive changes means it takes three coaches to do what he was doing:

Look, I was leaning on those guys a year ago too, but there’s always a negative return to too much. To have an identity, there has to be one agenda, one vision, and that starts with me. It’s my agenda, my vision for this defense, and that won’t change. I need a coordinator who understands and aligns with that. The trust I have with Steve allows me to have someone there where I don’t have to ask permission to involve myself. But you also need capable minds to problem-solve. That’s what a good coach does. With modern-day offense, there are a lot of problems that need solving. I think you can have too many cooks in the kitchen, but we’re trying to toe that line where we have guys who are humble, understand their roles, are willing to speak up, and ultimately put everything on the table to help create solutions.

Lea on the importance of carrying last year’s success into spring practices:

You can’t put a value on it. That applies to staff and team retention, and both require resources. I appreciate Candace’s willingness to continue stepping up and our chancellor’s vision to resource this program. My job is to push for more because sustaining success means not cycling in and out. Retention helps us elevate. If you look at key pieces—Brian Longwell, Langston Patterson, Nick Renaldi, Junior Cheryl—these are guys we recruited and developed. Their progress aligns with program progress, giving us a chance to chase what we want this year. Without that, you’re piecing things together. What we haven’t lost here is our soul, our foundation of environment and connectivity. Retaining the right attitudes and people goes a long way. We won’t always be the most talented team, and that’s okay. We want to carry a chip on our shoulder, play with an edge, and care about each other more than any other team in the country. That’s the foundation of our winning spirit.

Lea on Eli Stowers forgoing the NFL draft for another year at Vanderbilt:

It’s huge. He’s an NFL player. This year will do him really well because last year was his first full-time year in the tight end room. Now, he’s had a winter, a spring, and a summer to train in that position. We believe in him, and he believes in us. He sees this program as the right place to bridge the final gap to the NFL. We’ll be proud when his name is called on draft day. Looking back at 2021 and 2022, guys like Tyler Steen finished at Alabama, Ray Davis at Kentucky, and both were combine invitees. We’ve had three since I’ve been here, but two finished elsewhere. Had we had the resources, Anfernee Orji should have been back too. Now, having Eli back is proof that we’re creating an environment our players believe in while making it make sense for them from an NIL standpoint.

Lea on the difference from this year’s spring practices with a returning starting quarterback:

Totally different. There’s so much more familiarity. A year ago, I was looking at my defensive install sheet, and we didn’t even call one of the defenses on it. Over spring break, I studied and reinvented things. Now, we’re ingrained in our systems. We’ve built into them all winter. Diego was on the periphery last year, but now he’s a leader with a proven ability to guide this program. Other guys—Rinaldi, Randon, Junior, Martel—have grown up in the program and are back with a comfort level that lets us attack for more.