Exclusive: Clark Lea Shares his Evaluation of Micah DeBose

One of the newest faces of Vanderbilt football’s offensive line has made an impression on his new head coach.

Micah DeBose at the summer workout. | Vanderbilt Athletics

Vanderbilt’s offensive line went through a little bit of reconstruction this offseason as the coaching staff did its best to add pieces to keep the Commodores’ offensive front as one of the best in the country.

Following up a season where Vanderbilt’s offensive line was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award before losing a couple valuable pieces at the start of the offseason is not an easy task to follow up. The offensive line additions Vanderbilt made that got the majority of the spotlight so far has been Beau Johnson from North Dakota State and Lyndon Cooper from Pittsburgh. But another player up front that can help make an impact is former Alabama offensive lineman Micah DeBose.

The former four-star recruit out of the state of Alabama transferred to Vanderbilt in January after spending his freshman year with the Crimson Tide. He only played in one game for Alabama last season in a game against Eastern Illinois. Despite the lack of experience, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea is more than happy to have DeBose on his roster.

“We love having him in the program. I think this is a guy that has really fallen back in love with the game and he’s such a great person and a great fit for us. The size, the athleticism is all there,” Lea told Vandy On SI.

DeBose only played a few snaps in the game against Eastern Illinois last November, which probably helps explain why he has not been talked about as much as some other new faces to the program. But his lack of experience playing collegiately does not make DeBose any less valuable to Vanderbilt’s program.

DeBose is entering just his second season of college football and is now in an offensive system that relies heavily on the offensive line.

Even if DeBose is not a starter or does not see a ton of playing time right away this upcoming season, his size and his skillset that has been talked about since he first started being recruited shows he can serve as a depth piece for the Commodores.

Of course, with him on a new roster comes learning a new system. It never is the easiest thing for a young player to come in and learn a new system on the fly, but Lea recalled to Vandy On SI practices where he saw DeBose connect the dots and understand how to play the position under offensive coordinator Tim Beck’s system.

“There were times where you could see it all come together for him in the spring and you see what he’s really going to become. I think he’s really entrenched in the process right now and that’s a guy that we’d love to count on to impact winning,” Lea said. “But he’s been a joy to have and a guy that can elevate us. He needs the time to learn our system and learn our process.”

DeBose may not play the most snaps among all the offensive linemen on the roster this season, but it seems that he has shown growth since getting to Nashville earlier this year. And who knows, maybe his number gets called upon more often than originally anticipated. If that growth continues, DeBose will have a chance to make his mark on the offensive line and heighten his role throughout his college career.

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