Joseph McVay Has Grown in One Area in Particular, And He Wants That to Continue

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt football wide receiver Joseph McVay has been patiently waiting his turn to show what he can do for the Commodores on a consistent basis.

The Commodores wideout has appeared in 17 games across his first two seasons in Nashville and has made three catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns in his collegiate career. Though he has not put up as many numbers as he probably would have liked up to this point in his career, he is hoping this is the season where he can make a consistent impact on Vanderbilt’s offense.

A big reason for that is the personal progress he has made over time to get to where he is. From a mentality standpoint, Vanderbilt wide receivers coach Alex Bailey has seen the growth McVay has made throughout the offseason.

“Mentally,” Bailey said after Friday’s practice on where he has seen McVay improve the most going into camp. “His mindset, his approach, his day-to-day approach. He’s a guy that made the decision in his mind that he was going to go out there and get better on his own. He wasn’t going to wait for anybody. He is not going to leave it to chance.”

Bailey told reporters that McVay’s mindset has had a stark positive turn. Earlier in his college career, Bailey said McVay rode the emotional highs and lows of the game of football. But now, the coaching staff sees him as someone that has made strides in maturity.

McVay’s personal development was not without support, though. McVay detailed what the people around him have done to encourage him and help him grow from a mentality standpoint.

Teammates and members of the coaching staff, including head coach Clark Lea have leaned into him and given him advice on how to develop as both a player and a person. McVay feels that there is no question all that support has helped him tremendously.

“It was just about stepping into the mindset of playing free. Don’t think a lot and just play free. Just don't think about everything out there,” McVay said on the biggest advice he has gotten from his coaches.

Just because he has come a long way in terms of progress does not mean he does not want to continue to grow. McVay seems to not want to get complacent in his personal growth, but rather continue on an upward trajectory of progress.

When asked what aspect of his game he wants to grow the most throughout this month in camp, the answer is simple: it is all about continuing to grow mentally. He wants to make sure the progress he has made does not go away, nor the advice he has been given to be forgotten.

Thinking too much and getting in his own head about his performance or the team’s performance will not help. The more he is able to tame his mind and keep his composure, the better he feels he will play.

“I feel like I still think I want to clear that up so I can be out there and play as fast as I can. And the faster I play, the better,” McVay said.

For any player – or any person for that – to make personal development in anything, there must first be a decision made. Not only that, there must be a commitment to trust the process and stay consistent even when practices or days get difficult.

McVay made that decision and he is hoping it will show up on the field in camp and this fall. Mistakes will happen for all players. But for McVay, that is where he feels his newfound mentality will show up the most. And his coaches agree.

“I think of him being more of a mature player and understanding, ‘Hey, when I’m out here in practice, I’m out here to get better. And if I make a mistake, that’s fine. I can learn from that mistake and build off of it and get better,’” Bailey said. “He made that decision on his own. He has goals for himself. He wants to play. You’re going to see him play because he’s been working hard.”

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