Everything Clark Lea Said After Vanderbilt Football’s Spring Game – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE – Vanderbilt football concluded its spring practice period with its annual Black and Gold game Saturday. The game consisted of four 15-minute quarters that had a running clock as the offense finished with 41 points and the defense finished with 28.
After the spring game, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea spoke to the media on his thoughts from Saturday. Here is everything Lea said.
Opening Statement
“Obviously, making the adjustment according to the weather. I'm sure at one o'clock it'll be sunny and beautiful, but we do the best we can. I appreciate the fans coming out today too. That was fun to see the energy and again, them adjusting and adapting as we did the best we could to get a scrimmage in that, you know, closes out spring 26. I think we have a long way to go, but I am pleased with the progress we made. That showed up on the field today at times and at times, you know, we struggled. That's what the Spring Games are about. But on the whole, I thought the spirit of the group was good and really proud of guys like Jacob Balis, who is kind of a day in, day out grinder for us, who may be the most improved player in our program, you know, showing up and having a great scrimmage. Justin Dewers hit the field goal at the end. I may be the only coach in the country that finishes this scrimmage with the field goal attempt. But it was great to see viewers out there to close it out. And then the MVP of the day from my vantage point, was Payne Daniel. I mean, what an incredible spring he's had, and just so proud of him for how he shows up around the ball. He plays physically and has become just a beloved member of this program, and that's what a day like today is about. You know, we're going to talk now about quarterbacks and about all the other things that are important too, but really appreciate the spirit of our team and appreciate all the team members and deliver a great spring. And now we have something we can build upon to aim for a better fall. So thanks again to everyone for coming out, and I'm happy to answer questions.”
How would you rate Jared spring? And what do you need to see from him moving forward to feel confident in him as a freshman this fall?
“So I obviously, I've got to, I want to be very intentional on answering your question, and also want to be really clear. I mean, I'm not going to make a quarterback decision, and my goal is for each of these guys to be positioned to compete at the highest level in fall. And I think they've all had flashes of performance, and I think they all bring to the table things that can help us win, but we need to take the time to make sure we've seen this super clearly, so that we best position our team to have success. Now I want to talk specifically about Jared, because I honor the question you ask and understand the interest. You know, I don't know that anyone watching us play through the spring, whether it's a practice or a scrimmage, certainly today, right? You see physical elements of his game that are unique to him as a human being. I mean his potential for explosive play, the way he can evade rush, the way he can find receivers down the field, the look that his ball has coming out of his hand. There's a lot there that we, you know, we saw in evaluation, we saw in recruiting, and certainly that is not disappointing for him to close the gap. And I think it's important for us to give him time to close the gap, because we do see the physical traits. I'm trying to be very clear there. It's like, you know, time is going to give him the opportunity to grow into the system, into the structure, because that position needs to be able to line up the other 10 and get them pointed in the same direction, little things like how he calls the play in the huddle, you know, the his voice and command in cadence. Those are things we're going to be focused on for the next three months before we get into training camp, to try to tighten all that down now that he's had the experience of going through a spring and kind of figuring out where he is. I think, from the physical trait standpoint, he's there. From the mental processing standpoint, that's where we got to cover ground, and that's where we'll be focused. And for me, that is both his process, pre snap and post snap. The creative elements will be there, and they'll be dynamic. But you know, he has to consistently own the operation, pre snap, post snap, and be in process. And then it's, again, that field command he needs. And we don't expect him or any of those guys to be Diego Pavia. That's not what this team is going to be about. You know, Diego had a snap experience. He has demonstrated success, but each one of these guys need to focus on how they strengthen the unit, how they do the small things, well, how they make the available plays. And specifically today, it felt like he and blaze pressed a little bit for the big play. And I think that's natural and normal in a final scrimmage spring game environment. But there are a couple times where finding the check down earlier, finding the rhythm earlier, being willing to play for the next snap, being willing to play for the next series. Those are characteristics of a winning quarterback, and so that's what we'll be looking for moving forward. Hope that answers the question the right way. And again, to me, there is a wheelhouse here or a sweet spot where we've taken enough time, really, to give him a chance to catch up mentally, and then we've evaluated through fall camp, because you can't prepare four people to play in a game, so this will be kind of process of elimination, and we're going to be evaluating everything. But I'm proud of those guys, and they've done a great job. They've been great competitors, and they have also contributed to a group that I think has grown and gotten better. And I just do nothing but compliment them, and I'm excited to keep working with the move forward. I think that's the only time we have, right?”
Speaking of Jared Curtis, it felt like he doesn't really have any fear. You know, pushing the ball down the field. Is that representative of the type of player that you've seen from him so far?
"Yes. Next question. I'm sure, yeah, no, we love that. I think he's got a real I've really enjoyed getting to know him as a person. I've really enjoyed his humility, his process, his awareness of what he does know. What I've grown to learn about that position, this was a signature of Diego, is you just don't hold on to it that long. You know good play, bad play, next play. And as a competitor, the ability to let it go and just know you're going to make mistakes. I think that breeds some courage to take shots. Now, what we want him to feel really comfortable, and any of those guys to do is, you know, I got an open receiver. It may be a four yard throw, let's take it, allow the receiver to puncture and play for the next snap. We can then get into tempo. We can then put pressure on the defense, and that'll unlock explosive play. But, certainly he believes in himself. He has courage, he has the physical traits to get himself out of trouble. And I think some growth is going to be being willing to do the simple things really well that will ultimately unlock that explosive nature."
You guys are also trying to replace production from Eli Stowers. Just what have you seen from the other tight ends, and how do you look to kind of replicate what he did last year?
“Yeah, that's hard. We've obviously, I think Jayvontay Conner has come on. Walt Taylor has come on. Cole Spence, I mean, he's the guy that becomes the next in line, right? So, and we've seen that all spring, he wasn't participating today. That was just management on our end, you know, we feel like he is a featured part of our offense. No one replaces Eli totally. I think Cole can do some things that, you know, Eli can't, from his size and being online and that kind of thing. Obviously, Eli's skills as a receiver were different, but Cole will step into that. I saw advancement with JC and Walt through the spring. Was really pleased with Walt and his position transition, that he's been able to grow in confidence and be comfortable as a blocker and a receiver. If you guys were at the first scrimmage, there was one play in particular where he was slice blocking and just got absolutely waylaid, and he did his job, you know, but that doing your job can look kind of a couple ways. In this particular one, it did not look good. And then that advancement in the next scrimmage where in those blocks and then those opportunities, he's got his near foot down. His pad levels are right, right, his angles right. And now he's not only creating a stalemate, but he's creating space for the runner. That is the kind of patience we need to have with him as he continues to grow the skill set, the physical traits are there. And Walt, I think, he had a nice catch today from Whit, but he's had a couple really, really critical catches and scrimmages where we've been impressed with him. JC, who's played the position, I think, is starting to grow comfortable in the system, and he's shown up a little more in these last two scrimmages. I'm excited for him. And then moving I mean, we think highly of Mo, he's just been hurt. You know, these are soft tissue things that he's got to work through, but he's one that can compliment Cole as an inline blocker. Those guys, you know, are kind of the guys that we're looking to build around as we aim for the fall. Think the other thing about this team that will be interesting to see how we kind of work through in preparation phase is that we have a really deep running back room too, and so maybe in the past, where we've been a 12, 13,14, personnel team, you know, maybe obviously kind of lumping Gabe Fisher into that also. You know, maybe this becomes an opportunity for 21, 22 personnel, where we have two backs on the field and have a full back on the field and do some things that way. Impressed with Izayah Lee, impressed with Evan Hampton as freshman, obviously Jamezell Lassiter continues to stake his claim as one of the most explosive players on our team. And then Seddy and MK, you know, there's not much else to say about them. So all of it's got to take form. I think we're a developmental tight end room, but I'm pleased with where we're headed there. We need to, we need to use that for the next three months to keep closing.”
I know there are some guys sitting today, but how big was today just for a dress rehearsal kind of standpoint, getting fans in here?
“It was fun. I think, in terms of any, any real significance, I think this is probably the least significant of our three scrimmages, you know, and that's just the nature of it. I mean, you get to this point, really, you put the work in. This is about us celebrating the fans and as important our friends and family that showed up, giving the guys a chance to come out, have a quick shot of some football and celebrate. So there's nothing about today that I really point to and say, ‘Hey, this was really important for us.’ I think the spring as a whole has been important for us. And I think the ability to allow some guys to play some football today that haven't played or have played sparingly, I think that that'll be helpful just in building repetition, building experience, but the opportunity to sit some of the guys that have played a bunch of snaps for us and to keep them healthy and and to turn the page for them into, what is it? A six week developmental phase heading into June here that is important.”
For the guys who sat out the scrimmage today, are any of those long term concerns or injuries, or was it just more like load management?
“That was load management, and we've had a couple of bumps and bruises. Nothing that I see being long term. CJ Jackson had a surgery that'll be, that'll cast into the season. That was a couple of weeks ago. Other than that, I feel like we'll be aiming towards training camp coming out of spring, really, with reinforcements coming. Because some of the long term surgery guys from the winter will be back. Obviously, I think Issa’s had a, you know, a good spring, you know. He was able to get into some team periods and practice. I think he feels confident. We did not want to push that. And the rest of the guys, it's just, it's not so much load management, .ut exposure management. There’s no need to have Seddy running the ball with Payne Daniel like a scud missile through. Just limit exposure and get to the summer. That's what the mission and it's all about winning, and that was what we were able to do today.”
What have you seen this spring, evaluating the wide receiver room with the depth you have in there? And one young player in particular that's been popping up that I've paid enough notice to is Kahden Smith. What have you seen from him this spring?
“So I like that room. I think it's coming together. I like the leadership in that room. Obviously, Junior has become such a dependable player in our program, and an explosive player too. I think he's got such unique skills. I would not want to defend that guy. He's so strong and explosive, and I think especially in short area spaces, he's a dynamic player. But you look at Tristen Brown and how he's come along. You know, Cole Adams has been a great addition there. Brycen Coleman is a guy that I'm really excited about being in that room. I think he's sneaky fast and gets behind the defense. Obviously he's big. And then, you know, Joe McVay also is a guy that I think has been really consistent this spring, and he shows up physically in the run game, and another guy that has proven his ability to get behind people. So, I mean, I'm leaving a bunch of folks out. I think that's a room that's developing identity. I love how they're coming along. I think we've had a productive spring. I was wondering if we were going to have a bunch of conversations about Martel, and you know what we're going to do with him. I think we feel pretty good about that room right now. Ja’Cory is another guy that I think you guys are going to talk to. He had a nice day, and he's been a great contributor. As far as Kahden goes, I mean, this is a player that we feel strongly about. It's hard as a freshman. No different than the conversations with Jared. There's a mental part of this that has to come on. But he's made big plays for us in all our scrimmages. We had a little highlight that we watched as a team coming over. You had two big plays on it. And I think what you're seeing is as he grows comfortable in the system that he does everything he does. He does full speed, he runs his routes so hard and that allows him to break tackles. So we've had yards after catch and after contact. We've had him behind the defensive time and get connected and synced up with a quarterback. There's a lot to like about Kahden. I think we can look at him and say this is someone who could find a role for himself in the fall, and now we need to use the next three months to best position him to do that, because it is challenging. But we like his personality. We like his skills and his traits, and he's one that, as the spring’s gone, he's shown an ability to make a big play for us and be explosive. And in that room you're always going to look to add guys like that.”
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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