"This Is A Priority," Clark Lea Speaks on Facility Upgrades
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NASHVILLE—As Clark Lea approached his contract extension negotiations and considered what it would take for this thing to get done, he came to the conclusion that he needed more than just money. Lea knew that if he was going to stay in Nashville amidst attention from other power-five programs, he wanted to make sure this thing was sustainable.
When it was all said and done, Lea received a significant raise from Vanderbilt as well as a new football “experience center” that is said to include a remodeled indoor practice facility as well as a weight room, sports science center, updated offices and a new locker room. Lea believes that Vanderbilt was “behind” on facilities and that it needs to catch up, now it appears as if the infrastructure of his program is closer to being up to speed than it has been previously.
“It’s an indicator of alignment,” Lea said of the facility upgrades. “There are certain ways we’ve caught up and there are other ways we still lag behind. Facilities don’t get built overnight. I learned that the hard way with the stadium, it felt like forever. We have to break the ground and then go through the process of building the building and hopefully that can be done in the next two or three years.”
Lea says that until the facility upgrades are complete, his program will have to “invest” in the McGugin Center to “make it at a level of quality that supports an SEC football team.” Lea says that he “would imagine” his team is the only one at the power-four level that doesn’t have a designated player lounge and also expresses a desire for improved recovery spaces for his players.
Lea has pushed for improved facilities since the beginning of his Vanderbilt tenure and has continued to harp on their importance post-extension.
“We need to paint the walls, we need to replace the graphics, we need to do all the things that show the level of investment,” Lea said, “Not just in three years from now, but today as we progress this program forward. All of that is met with alignment from our administration.”
If Vanderbilt’s results–a 10-2 season in 2025 as well as a 7-6 season in 2024–didn’t indicate it, its extension of Lea indicated that it’s serious about building a consistent winner in football. Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee called the process of extending Lea “labor intensive” in an exclusive interview with Vandy on SI, but says that it was “always the goal” to finish the deal with Lea.
Lea calls Storey Lee an “incredible partner” and says the same about Vanderbilt chancellor Daniel Diermeier, but says that Vanderbilt can’t just “punt” its progress to three years down the line on the facilities front now that his extension is completed.
“We’ve got to show that day in and day out here we are responding to the results and supporting this team at a higher level,” Lea said. “This isn’t about putt putt courses and whatever else, slides and such, it’s about the highest-quality commitment to performance and the student-athlete experience.”
The Vanderbilt head coach says he expects the planning phase of the experience center to take “about a year” and that he expects the “shovels to go in the ground sometime just beyond a year from now.” The expectation within Vanderbilt’s program is that the final building will be complete within three years of his contract extension.
As Lea reflects on the length of time that facility upgrades have taken, he remembers that when he was a kid he learned that “good things come to those who wait.” That doesn’t mean that the Vanderbilt coach hasn’t gone through periods of frustration and hasn’t pushed in regard to facilities, though. Now, he appears to be reaping the benefits of his efforts.
“This is a priority,” Lea said, “And it needs to be a priority. The reason I’m standing in front of you is because we’ve come to an agreement of exactly the level of urgency we need to have moving forward.”
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Southeastern 16 and Mainstreet Nashville.
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