Why Clark Lea Feels His Team, Alabama Are Better in 2025 than 2024

NASHVILLE—Clark Lea doesn’t know what will happen when Vanderbilt and Alabama take the field at Bryant Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but he thinks he knows two things for a fact.

Lea believes this Alabama team is better than the one that his program took down 40-35 last season and that the 2025 iteration of his team is better than the version that turned the tides on his rebuild with a No. 1 last season.

“Both sides are better,” Lea said. “I think for Kalen and his group in their second year you can see the identity of the program taking shape. Like I said, I think the offense resembles that group that they took to the national championship game at Washington. It’s got that kind of fuel to it.”

Lea says that DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s scheme reminds him of what he gameplanned against for the 2020 Alabama team that he faced in the College Football Playoff as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. The Vanderbilt coach said that this Alabama team and that one each have enough talent to line up, play baseline football and win, but they feature their talent within a scheme that’s difficult to scheme for.

Vanderbilt’s head coach doesn’t want to discount what his team can do now that it’s in year five of its build, though. The Commodores are 5-0 with road wins over South Carolina and Virginia Tech and have earned an appearance in the AP Poll, on College Gameday and on ABC.

Sep 27, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) runs off the field after the win against the Utah State Aggies after the game at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Lea believed that it could knock off Alabama last season and believes that this team can add to its rèsumè again on Saturday if it’s sharp. Lea will never refer to his team without referring to something that it needs to improve, but he believes that this one is his best.

“We feel like we’re better,” Lea said. “We’re operating at a high level offensively. I think we’re a playing complementary style defensively. We’ve been very disruptive on defense. The havoc rate has been really high. We’re among the nations’s best in third down distance, but we haven’t finished on third down like we need to. We’re better than we were a year ago.”

Vanderbilt will receive a litmus test in regard to how good it really is on Saturday as it goes to Tuscaloosa as a double-digit underdog and looks to knock off the Crimson Tide for the second-consecutive season.

DeBoer didn’t deny that his 2024 team overlooked Vanderbilt after a win over Georgia last season and has seemingly warned his group against looking past Lea’s team. Even if his team does, it won’t be because he’s not aware of what Lea’s team can do. DeBoer was likely aware of that last season and appears to agree with Lea’s assessment of his roster.

“I knew a year ago, you could see and feel the positive movement that they had inside the program,” DeBoer said Monday, “You could see the style of play, it being team football. They continue to do that. 5-0, a ranked opponent coming into our house.”

Alabama is ranked nine spots lower than it was as it walked on to the turf at FirstBank Stadium this time last year, but it’s catching Lea’s eye in a way that it may not have this time last year. At the very least, it’s more difficult to prepare for.

Lea knows that his team will be adequately prepared for, as well. It’s not flying under the radar heading into Saturday afternoon’s matchup. It’s okay with that, though. It’s preparing for Alabama’s best and feels as if it’s best can stack up.

“That’s a really good team,” Lea said. “They’re solid throughout and we feel the same way about our team. We’re going to take our group down there and hope to play our best.”