Vanderbilt Football Looks to Keep "Creating History" On National Stage Against Alabama

NASHVILLE—To do what Clark Lea and Vanderbilt football have done, someone involved has to be a bit delusional, a master insulator and pissed off enough to change things.

Lea knows the history regarding his program as well as anyone, including the incompetence that’s revealed itself in its results for years, even if he says he isn’t paying attention to it. He’s been a part of it as a player and a coach. He’s lost. He jokes that he would’ve grown gray hair by now as a result of it by now if he could.

The Vanderbilt coach knows that to change what’s gone on within this program, he has to acknowledge its past and work on breaking away from the parts of it that have so often hampered its win-loss record.

For this Vanderbilt program to succeed, it’s had to change how it goes about things procedurally and has had to change its blueprint. Vanderbilt coach after Vanderbilt coach has done that without results to make it worthwhile, though.

Where Lea has been intentional about making his build different is the tearing down of previous mindsets and the intentional–almost too intentional–build up of a new culture and belief. There’s no room for skepticism or apologies anymore. This is about doing something that this program hasn’t, if you’re not on board with that then get out.

Sep 27, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea stands and sings the Vanderbilt Commodores alma mater song after the game at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

“We’re creating our own history here,” Lea said on Tuesday. "That's really the spirit of this group. It's not because the history of this program isn't important. I'm a part of the history of this program. There is an intentional, purposeful break to say, 'What has happened before has no bearing on what is to come.'"

What’s happened in this program’s past would indicate that it will drop its matchup with No. 10 Alabama in Tuscaloosa by double digits on Saturday despite its 5-0 record and belief. That past doesn’t have to define it and where it goes from here, though.

This program can do this, it says. It can view Alabama just like it views anyone else and it can find a way to leave Tuscaloosa happy after an impressive performance, seriously.

“The word’s not even compete,” Vanderbilt linebacker Langston Patterson–who was on Vanderbilt’s 2022 team that was blown out in Tuscaloosa–said. “If you’re a competitor and you play sports, you’re going down there to dominate. You’re going out there to give it your all no matter what. When I get back on the bus, I don’t want to be able to feel my shoulder, feel my neck. I don’t want to be able to walk the next morning.”

If Patterson’s statement has ever been true, it’s likely to be on Saturday as Vanderbilt looks to take its status to an unfamiliar level in front of College Gameday and on an ABC broadcast. It’s the level of game that appeared foreign for this program in the infancy stages of Lea’s build five years ago.

This isn’t a pipe dream anymore, though. It’s reality. It’s also got the potential to be the biggest game of Lea’s tenure if all goes to plan. Vanderbilt’s 2024 win over No. 1 Alabama will be difficult to top, but this one is different.

Alabama knows Vanderbilt is coming, so does everyone else. It’s got a chance to win if it stays within itself, though.

"We've earned the right to play in a big game," Lea said. "We get a great stage to do it on. What's special is the opportunity to play against Alabama. We understand it's a great stage and there will be a lot of eyes on us, but what we want to do is go play our brand of football.”

That brand of football has gotten Vanderbilt this far. Perhaps it can allow it to make more history as Vanderbilt looks to pick up its first win in Tuscaloosa since 1984, though. Perhaps it can allow it to show the country that it’s not the Vanderbilt of the past, as well.

Time to see if this program can keep making history while the nation looks to find any excuse to count it out.

"It's human nature to be skeptical, that's why I have a deep respect for what we're doing here. It's been misunderstood from outside," Lea said. "I think this season has been about the confidence to dominate, to have a dominant mindset when we take the field. That's a tangible shift."