In-Depth, Position-by-Position Takeaways from Vanderbilt's First Fall-Camp Scrimmage

Nashville--Vanderbilt took the field on Saturday afternoon for its first scrimmage of the fall, which lasted over two hours and provided a real look at what it has to work with.

Vanderbilt's team is banged up and missed a couple of its mainstays, but got what head coach Clark Lea said was "good work" in on Saturday.

Here's a position-by-position breakdown of how things went.

Quarterbacks

Diego Pavia took his fair share of reps on Saturday and–as you’d expect–was Vanderbilt’s most productive quarterback with double-digit completions and over 100 passing yards as well as a fair share of rushing yards.

Pavia looked about as expected as he made a few nice decisions with the ball and moved the primary offense down the field at times against Vanderbilt’s primary defense. The Vanderbilt starter wasn’t live, but his operation appeared to be the smoothest of any Vanderbilt quarterback.

The Vanderbilt quarterback appeared to have a nice connection with Richie Hoskins in the downfield passing game and was rewarded for it once with a touchdown.

Blaze Berlowitz had a few nice throws himself and had perhaps the best throw of the day among Vanderbilt’s quarterbacks, yet he still didn’t have anywhere near his best day and demonstrated that his ball security still needs work. Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Tim Beck says that Berlowitz A few throws that Berlowitz made are the types that could keep him off the field.

Drew Dickey was the last quarterback that was not live. The veteran quarterback didn’t have much of an impact outside of a few throws that turned into solid gains, though. Berlowitz has had his ups and downs, but has had a significantly better camp than Dickey–inlcluding Saturday.

Freshman quarterback Jack Elliott moved his offense down the field and appeared to have some success on the ground as a live ballcarrier despite some fumble issues that he appeared to have. Elliott is still learning the Vanderbilt offense, but Vanderbilt has always liked his make up. It’s reasonable to assume that he won’t be anywhere near the field as a result of not enrolling early and still having to acclimate to Vanderbilt’s offense.

Sophomore quarterbacks Whit Muschamp–who did make an exceptional throw that was also among the best of the day–and Jeremy St. Hilare were also live, but didn't stand out all that much. It appeared as if Muschamp was significantly better than St. Hilaire on Saturday.

Running backs

Sedrick Alexander showed flashes of being himself, but was limited to just a few carries Vanderbilt appeared to look towards other running backs to see what they have rather than its starter.

Mahkylin Young has had a relatively quiet camp, but dominated a series and showed what Vanderbilt has raved about throughout the spring and fall. Young rarely goes down on first contact, is as shifty as anyone in Vanderbilt’s room and isn’t afraid to hurdle a defender who’s in his way in the open field.

The most present scholarship running back was likely Gabe Fields, who won’t see all that much time in all likelihood but presents a foot in the ground skillset that Vanderbilt hasn’t had much of throughout Clark Lea’s tenure. Fields finished with perhaps the most yardage of any Vanderbilt back, but put the ball on the ground. Ball security could keep him off the field.

Vanderbilt walk-on Jamezell Lassiter got his fair share of action on Saturday and was one of Vanderbilt’s unheralded stars of the day. The Rhode Island native appeared to be difficult to track down in the open field.

Chase Gillespie did not participate in the scrimmage.

If the season started today, it would appear that Alexander and Young would be Vanderbilt’s two top guys, Newberry would be its third guy and perhaps Fields would be the fourth.

Wide receivers

Vanderbilt’s receivers had perhaps the best day of any position group and consistently stood out relative to what they were expected to do.

Perhaps the biggest star in the room on Saturday was veteran Richie Hoskins, who recorded four receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown as well as one that he felt should’ve been called a touchdown but wasn’t. The Vanderbilt receiver demonstrated his contested catch ability a few times and had a connection with a few of Vanderbilt’s top of the depth chart quarterbacks.

Hoskins sent a reminder on Saturday that he shouldn’t be counted out in a new-look wide receiver room.

Sophomore Tristen Brown was on par with Hoskins as he demonstrated that he may have the best pure hands of anyone in Vanderbilt’s receiver room when he’s got it going.

Brown’s speed and ability to make himself available to the quarterback has to put him in the conversation for a significant amount of playing time come Aug. 30.

Vanderbilt standouts Junior Sherrill and Tre Richardson were quieter than they’ve been but appeared to continue their positive trajectory. Trent Hudson–who will likely start–has been sidelined by a groin injury throughout most of camp.

Boski Barrett appears to be coming along, but likely won’t see the field all that much. Chance Fitzgerald slowly appears to be getting buried on the depth chart. Freshman Kayleb Barnett’s speed stands out, but he’s likely to redshirt. Freshman Cameran Dickson had his first real impact of camp, but looks to be heading towards the same fate.

Freshman receiver Lebron Hill was off to the side on Saturday.

Tight End

There’s not much to note out of Vanderbilt’s tight end room at this stage with Eli Stowers, Cole Spence and Brycen Coleman all still off to the side. None of the injuries to Spence or Coleman are considered to be severe, but they’ve hampered each of their practice time.

Witt Edwards is playing tight end out of necessity at this point, but has to put on significant weight–as Berlowitz’ says–if he wants to see the field there at any point. Edwards flashed as a receiving threat on Saturday, but is still clearly buried on the depth chart.

Walk-on Larry Benton has had a solid camp and flashed at times again on Saturday, Berlowitz says that he’s improved.

Offensive line

The offensive line projection–which includes Jordan White, Chase Mitchell, Cade McConnell, Isaia Glass and Bryce Henderson–in yesterday’s practice report still stands after Saturday.

Vanderbilt’s improved depth on the line was on display as it was solid in pass protection and opened some holes in the run game at times, but appeared to be significantly better in pass protection than it was in the run game.

Still too many procedural penalties for the Vanderbilt offensive line, though. If it’s going to win in the margins when the time comes, it will have to cut down on those.

Virginia Tech transfer Gunnar Givens appeared to have a better day than he’s had and assisted on a big play with a strong downfield block. Orion Irving on the other hand hasn’t had a great camp by any means and appears to be heading towards a depth role.

Defensive line

Vanderbilt’s interior defensive linemen proved their worth on Saturday, particularly Jaylon Stone and Nikhil Jefferson. Stone recorded 3.5 tackles while Jefferson recorded 4. Perhaps their solid days appears to be somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it could represent a step forward on the interior.

That step forward that appeared to be tangible on Saturday appeared to be the difference between Vanderbilt potentially winning and losing in the trenches as the season wears on into November.

Vanderbilt also appeared to get some solid production from freshman Jake Stanish, who recorded two tackles and a sack. Oklahoma transfer Hayden Bray also had a sack and has been strong in practice, even if that doesn’t mean he’ll end up with playing time.

Vanderbilt’s starting defensive linemen were generally quiet over the course of the day, but Yilanan Ouattara demonstrated his improved block destruction once or twice as he got into the backfield while Zaylin Wood also recovered a fumble. Aaron Bryant wasn’t all that loud, but held up well in the run game.

Stars

By design, Vanderbilt’s STARs were present and racked up a significant amount of tackles on the day despite Randon Fontenette standing off to the side.

Tate Hamby was one of Vanderbilt’s primary standouts on the day and recorded 3.5 tackles over the course of the afternoon. Hamby is buried a bit on the depth chart, but between a standout performance in the spring game and a nice start to the fall it feels as if he’ll have a chance to make an impact if he’s got to play.

Jailen Ruth–who had a nice day on Friday—stood out with two sacks and an abundance of tackles on Saturday, but had some trouble on a long play in coverage. Ruth’s transformation from nearly a true edge rusher to a capable coverage guy is impressive, nonetheless.

Linebackers

Vanderbilt linebacker Bryan Longwell headlined the group’s day with an interception and a few plays in which he was around the ball while the rest of the room was relatively quiet, but showed off its waves of depth.

Perhaps the best of the group was Vanderbilt linebacker Nick Rinaldi, who committed a penalty but racked up five tackles and appeared to be all over the field. Bryce Cowan had a similar feel at times as he racked up 2.5 tackles. Langston Patterson is a known commodity, but didn’t have his best day on Saturday.

Former four-star recruit Prince Kollie also ended the day with a fair share of reps and two tackles to show for his work. Kollie is likely buried behind a few other linebackers, but is a capable piece if Vanderbilt needs him.

Cornerbacks

Vanderbilt was shorthanded in the cornerback room without Martel Hight, Jordan Matthews and Mark Davis on the field.

As a result, it took its fair share of lumps and likely lost the day to the receivers. It did have some stretches of solid play from Jaylin Lackey–who had an up and down day–as well as some of its younger corners, though. Kolbey Taylor didn’t stand out one way or another, which is good news for Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt also appears to have a scrimmage hero in Brail Lipford. The Commodores’ walk on always finds a way to stand out in scrimmage settings.

Safetys

Vanderbilt’s safety room had some impact on the day as the Commodores’ offense didn’t have all that many splash plays and were capped at times by the safety room.

Dontae Carter wasn’t all that loud on Saturday, but Clark Lea raves about the camp that he’s had. It appears as if Carter is set to take on a larger, more expansive role once the season comes as a result of his ballhawking ability and his refinement of details.

Vanderbilt freshman Carson Lawrence has also flashed and appears to be Vanderbilt’s hardest hitter in the safety room when he’s allowed to unleash them. Lawrence is more developed than Carter was this time a year ago, but is still likely to only be on the field in certain packages.

FAU transfer CJ Heard racked up four tackles and quietly had a solid day on the field at FirstBank Stadium while Marlen Sewell got his hands on a pass that was ultimately completed.

Perhaps the story of the day was Vanderbilt freshman safety Davin Chandler–who Lea says he’s excited about even if he doesn’t see the field this season.

Special teams

Brock Taylor knocked down a few kicks and was sharp while freshman Justin Dewers missed one left and appears to still be behind Taylor by a bit despite his upside.

Vanderbilt’s punting game doesn’t appear to be as strong as it’s been the last two seasons, but will still be capable.