Why Clark Lea won't stop recruiting freshmen to Vanderbilt with new NCAA rules – The Tennessean

Clark Lea plans to use new NCAA rules allowing all players five years of eligibility to his advantage with Vanderbilt football.
The new rules eliminate redshirts and instead give players five years from the time of enrolling in college or turning 19, whichever is earlier. In football, where a much higher percentage of players typically redshirt, the new rules allow more freshmen to play right away without consequence, and Lea plans to take advantage now that he no longer has to choose between playing a player and saving a year of eligibility.
He spoke on the topic during SEC Media Days in Tampa on July 21.
“Guys, in the past couple of years, they’ve had smaller roles, maybe played on a couple of special teams, but they were impacting winning,” Lea said. “They retain that year, and so they can apply their experience for a fifth year. I think that’s fantastic.”
At the same time, Lea said, he will need to have conversations with some players who have graduated after four years in the program and have eligibility remaining but also the opportunity to turn pro.
For Lea, at least for now, the change doesn’t mean going further away from high school recruits or trying to load the roster with primarily transfers. Lea’s recruiting with Vanderbilt has improved as the program has had more success. After a 10-3 season in 2025, Lea signed the No. 31 recruiting class, his best with the Commodores. Mid-cycle, the 2027 class is ranked No. 33.
More of those players could see time in 2026 beyond just Jared Curtis.
“I think it unlocks potential in each roster because there are more people that you can access to impact winning and reinforces this developmental approach,” Lea said. “I still believe at Vanderbilt to have a player in the program for four or five years is our best bet to build the kind of program we want to be.
“And that’s not to say that we’re not every year going to go and look to strengthen through the portal. But to get back to high school recruiting and to really focus on … third, fourth and fifth-year players is exciting to me.”
There’s also a change on the other end, too. While some players will be able to get a fifth year they couldn’t before, sixth-year players will soon become almost entirely obsolete. Diego Pavia had his Heisman runner-up campaign as a sixth-year. That, in some ways, makes development even more important. Lea recognizes that.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X @aria_gerson.

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