Vanderbilt Football Fall Camp Defensive Takeaways Day Five

NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt football got back on the practice field Monday for what was the fifth day of fall camp.

Compared to Sunday’s practice that was full of energy, Monday’s practice was not as full of content and storylines from players on the roster. There were, however, some things that were notable and happened during practice No. 5 of August, specifically on the defense

Here are a few takeaways from what was seen out of Vanderbilt’s defense during Monday’s practice.

Jordan Matthews Could Really be Cementing Himself as CB2

Going into fall camp, there was no debate as to who would be the top cornerback on the roster. Martel Hight has had that title for some time now, but the question has been who will step up to be the No. 2 cornerback on the roster.

Vanderbilt has options, but it was waiting for someone to cement himself in that spot. Through five days of fall camp, it seems that Jordan Matthews has really started to establish himself as the second-best cornerback for the Commodores.

Matthews has been making plays in coverage so far in camp and Monday was no different. The talent and the skill set for Matthews has been there, it was only a matter of time before it would start to produce positive results.

That has already begun to happen and his coaching staff has noticed it, too.

“He’s playing with a lot of confidence, but he’s got to continue to strive to become even better and continue to improve and work on it each and every day,” Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Steve Gregory said Sunday. “But I think this can be a really good year for him if he continues to progress the way he is going.”

In Monday’s practice, Matthews was around the ball often and made a few impressive plays. Right now it seems that Matthews is much closer to where Hight is compared to whoever could take over the third spot in the cornerback room.

Another Corner Has Impressed, Too

There has been a lot to like about what Vanderbilt’s secondary has been doing in camp. It has been more than just the main guys that have been making things happen in practice.

An example of one of those guys has been cornerback Cayden Daniels. Daniels’ performance through Sunday in camp was encouraging and he continued on that trajectory on Monday. In Monday’s practice, Daniels showed some good things about his ability to play in coverage and even made a couple plays throughout practice.

Last season, Daniels appeared in five games and came away with six tackles and one pass breakup. It feels like he should play in a much bigger role this fall, especially if the way he has been doing in camp continues.

Possible Uncertainties on the Defensive Line?

It is not that the defensive line has been bad and it was not bad in Monday’s practice. But if there was any unit on the Vanderbilt defense that had the most uncertainty right now, it would be on the defensive line.

A lot of that is because the defensive line was not in a lot of situations where players could showcase their skills. Defensive lineman did get some work in, but it was not enough to come away with anything concrete.

The question part about it stems from the fact that Vanderbilt knows what it has between its cornerback, safety and linebacker rooms. The Commodores have experienced vets in each of those rooms and they still do have experience and talent, specifically amongst the EDGEs. The question just is what do the internal defensive line show throughout the rest of camp.

Sunday, Vanderbilt’s internal defensive linemen showed some good things. But what do they show going forward? That will be seen eventually.

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