Jared Pinkney With Jim Rome: Decision To Return To Vanderbilt For Senior Season

Former Vanderbilt Commodores tight end Jared Pinkney appeared on the Jim Rome Show on Monday and among the topics of discussion was his decision to return to Vanderbilt for his senior season.

Jared Pinkney will likely hear his name called this weekend at some point during the 2020 NFL Draft, but it will come much later this time than it might have one year ago because he decided to return to Vanderbilt for his senior season.

Pinkney, appearing on the Jim Rome Show on Monday, shared his thoughts on the decision to return for his senior season with the Commodores, forgoing what most experts believe would have been a first-round selection at the time.

"Well, he thing about it was I felt like there were things I hadn't accomplished yet, individually and just as a team, and one of those things was obviously to graduate, and I was able to do that in December," said Pinkney. "Then another was to go to a bigger and better bowl game and just do things that Vanderbilt players and teams haven't done in the past."

Entering his senior season, Pinkney was recognized by the Mackey Award watchlist as one of the top tight ends in the nation. The Mackey Award is given to the high tight end in the country each season. Pinkney's inclusion on the watchlist came following a junior campaign in which he set a Vanderbilt school record for receptions by a tight end with 50 and was named first-team All-SEC.

Things didn't work out for Pinkney and his Commodores teammates during his final season in black & gold as the team won just three games, missed out on a bowl and Pinkney suffered through a nightmare of a season that now has him projected in the later rounds of this weekend's draft.

Rome posed another question regarding his degree with a quote from Pinkney.

"When I see the degree, and I see the opportunities I'm going to have in football, for me to have done that at the same time, feel like that's a huge accomplishment," stated Rome of Pinkney's comment. "You could have left and come back later when your football career was over and finish up the degree, so why was it important to finish both at the same time?"

"I think that it presents a unique advantage and opportunity for guys like us, because at Vanderbilt, and you kind of see it in the NFL, the guys that go, (from Vanderbilt) they're kind of undervalued and end up sticking and staying on rosters, and we had guys on both Super Bowl rosters," continued Pinkney. "We've had guys who are starting in the NFL, and it speaks to our versatility and our ability to adapt under adverse situations and things like that because we are competing against the best athletes on Saturday and then also the best students in the classroom and the country on every other day."

His final season on the football field might not have ended as he had envisioned, but Pinkney leaves Vanderbilt with his degree and will get his shot at the NFL starting this weekend, and that's not a bad situation to be in for anyone.

You can listen to the full Jim Rome interview with Pinkney below.

NOTE: Audio and video recording provided courtesy of The Jim Rome Show for use by Commodores Country.