Which Of Vanderbilt's New Freshman Is Likely To Play First

Of the fifteen new Vanderbilt Commodore football players, there are several in line to have a chance to play right away as true freshmen, but which one might be the first to see the field in a real game?

When it comes to which of the newest Vanderbilt Commodores freshman class and which might be the first to see action in their true freshman season, there are three to four early favorites for that honor. 

Quarterback is, of course, the most important position on the field, and one where the Commodores struggled in 2019. Incoming freshman quarterback Ken Seals has already expressed his intentions to battle to be the game one starter next season.    

True freshman Mike Wright will also have a chance to stake his claim to the starting quarterback position as he will battle Seals, Mo Hasan, and JUCO transfer Jeremy Moussa for the spot. Don't automatically count Wright out of winning this spot too. He is a dual-threat and is equally as dangerous running the football as he is passing. He would add a different dimension to the offense, which is something head coach Derek Mason has mentioned.    

Both De'Rickey Wright and Chase Lloyd have a chance to find playing time as true freshmen, Wright at safety, wide receiver or possibly linebacker. Lloyd is a candidate in the secondary. 

However, there's one freshman who has a slightly clearer path to the field because of graduation losses and the numbers in his position group.    

Rocko Griffin (5'9" 187), the true freshman from Savannah, Ga. will bring blazing speed (4.35 40 yard dash) to the Commodores backfield. His speed is like none other currently on the roster. 

Sophomore to-be Keyon Brooks will be projected as the early frontrunner to be the starter, replacing the graduated Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Ja'Veon Marlow, a redshirt sophomore along with Sophomore JR Tran-Reno, Mitchell Pryor and senior-to-be Jamauri Wakefield round out the current roster at running back. 

Brooks, Tran-Reno, Pryor, and Wakefield are all bigger back, over 200-pounds and are more between the tackles style runners, though Brooks can press the edge and turn the corner. Marlow, like Griffin, is a smaller back (5'11"  190) but does not possess the game-changing speed of Griffin. 

Just look around the SEC and you will find a large number of backs who have either started or found playing time for other teams, which includes Brooks himself who was a true freshman as the number two back last season. 

You can't teach or coach speed and when you have someone like Griffin, it will be hard for coaches not to want to find ways to get him on the field both early and often, true freshman or not.