Growth of Vanderbilt Football Has Led to Newest Spotlight

Vanderbilt football is being featured on ESPN’s “College Gameday” for the first time since 2008 in a rematch with Alabama.

Sep 20, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Langston Patterson (10) calls out the play on defense against the Georgia State Panthers during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE — It is a sight nobody thought they would ever see.

As if a top 20 ranked matchup between No. 16 Vanderbilt and No. 10 Alabama was something unforeseen in itself, no one ever expected it would see a ranked matchup between the two schools that is also featured on ESPN’s “College Gameday” game of the week. But here we are.

For Vanderbilt, it has been a short two years, but the journey to get here has been long. After a 2-10 season in 2023, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea has spent all of last season and this season building a culture and bringing in new players and coaches to Nashville in seemingly record time.

But one of those players that has stuck through the highs and lows is Vanderbilt linebacker Langston Patterson. The senior is a hometown kid that committed to Vanderbilt after spending his high school career at Christ Presbyterian Academy. Patterson has been a Commodore since Vanderbilt’s 5-7 in 2022. Patterson has been through a few firsts during his time on campus, including last season’s victory over No. 1 Alabama, the first time Vanderbilt had taken down a top-ranked team in program history.

But now, Patterson is experiencing a new first in his final season: center stage on national television that is a part of the biggest pregame show in college sports. It may have taken some time and it certainly was not an easy path to where the program is today, but now eyes of the nation will be on Vanderbilt football.

“It's awesome. That's what I came here for. I followed Coach Lea when he came here from Notre Dame because I believed in him. I believed in his vision, and I believe he's the best defensive mind in all of college football. So I knew we'd get here one day,” Patterson said. “And it was definitely a long, hard process. In the beginning, me and Coach Lea joked around a little bit that there were too many lessons learned there in the middle. But we're here now, so we just got to take advantage of our opportunity that we have.”

Lea, the conductor of this Vanderbilt turnaround, knows how special this moment is. This Saturday is the opportunity of a lifetime for the players and coaching staff to show millions of people what Vanderbilt football is all about against a top 10 team that is coming off an impressive and emotional win. In addition to that, it is an opportunity for the Commodores to make a statement about taking them seriously in terms of the national conversation.

But Lea does not want this weekend’s spotlight to be the last. He wants this to be the first of many to come. Lea views the stage this Saturday as an opportunity for these kinds of games to become the norm down the road.

“For this program to get where we want it to go, we want these things not to come as one offs. We want this to become part of our operating procedure. And this is a great chance, a great first chance to  enjoy that spotlight,” Lea said.

This week, with a 5-0 record for the first time since 2008, Vanderbilt has earned its place it will be in on Saturday as the Commodores travel to Tuscaloosa. It is a game that could have serious playoff ramifications down the line for both schools.

“College Gameday” is set to begin at 8 a.m. CT Saturday. The three hour show ends at 11 a.m. CT.