How Vanderbilt’s New Approach to Training is Powering its Late-Season Surge; Column – Sports Illustrated

Vanderbilt has had its fair share of close finishes in 2025, especially in the latter half of the season. 
Late in the fourth quarter, when opponents typically start to pull away because of fatigue and physical toll, it's been the Commodores — more so than their opponents — who have applied the pressure. With two games left on the calendar, Vanderbilt looks noticeably fresher, sharper, and more resilient than they have in years past.  
Last season told a different story. Vanderbilt faded in late October and November, worn down by a demanding practice load, injuries, and limited depth. The result: three straight losses to South Carolina, LSU, and Tennessee, each punctuated by the physical toll of a fatigued and undermanned roster.   
This year, head coach Clark Lea changed the formula. With a deeper roster at his disposal and a sharper understanding of how fatigued sabotaged an otherwise successful 2024 season, Lea scaled back training camp intensity and built rest directly into the team’s rhythm.  
“We’re right around four hours in accumulated time less on the field than we were a year ago,” Lea said back in August. “I think that will help us as we get into the middle of the season. Having a little more time off our feet and having a little more time to recover in fall camp should allow us to sustain through that.” 
So far, it has. 
In the thick of a gauntlet SEC slate, Vanderbilt outlasted Missouri on Oct. 25 in a grueling, low-scoring 17-10 victory. It wasn’t decided by flashy plays or game-changing playmaking, but by a team with fresher legs and more power in the trenches. It’s a game that, a year ago under the old practice model, the Commodores may not have had the physical durability and strength to survive through. But this time, Vanderbilt outscored Missouri 14-7 in the second half and came away with a victory.  
“We were really intentional about how we practice [the first six games],” Lea said Thursday. “It’s something that’s helped us and hopefully we can stay healthy and have a great chance in this stretch run.” 
The game script looked completely different two weeks later when Vanderbilt outlasted Auburn 45-38 in overtime, but the underlying theme was identical. While the game was perhaps less so won in the trenches and more by the defense that could get a big stop first, the real separator was the ability to sustain focus and execution — Lea’s signature coaching phrase — through a long, chaotic, and emotionally draining contest.  One year earlier during that same weekend, Vanderbilt was run off the field 28-7 as its exhausted defense collapsed under the weight of LaNorris Sellers and Raheim Sanders.  
Even the Commodores’ loss to Texas two weekends ago flipped the familiar narrative. Instead of fading late, Vanderbilt finished strong, scoring 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points. The issue wasn’t stamina or durability, but a start so slow that even the late surge couldn’t overcome it.  
“Practice length — we’ve just been more efficient [this season],” Lea said. “We’ve put a lot of attention to that and we’ve kind of found the right mix without sacrificing the physical and intense parts of practice.” 
The other major pillar in this picture is health. Outside of Issa Ouattara’s season-ending shoulder injury, Vanderbilt has remained almost remarkably healthy this season. As of Wednesday night, Ouattara remains the only Commodore projected contributor on the injury report against Kentucky. This same time last season, Vanderbilt was riddled with injuries — including a severely hobbled Diego Pavia. This year's clean bill of health is far from accidental. 
“You only have two hamstrings,” Lea said. “When you blow one of those out in the summer, the entire year you’ll be chasing it down. We’ve taken measures to move drills around in a way that protects those soft tissue issues in the lower body that can be so troubling.”  
Now, as the Commodores enter the home stretch of their schedule, they appear better equipped than most to handle the physical and mental grind of November football. Depth— a luxury that Vanderbilt hasn’t been able to afford in the past — is also paying dividends. 
“Depth helps,” Lea said. “The more people that we play…I just don’t want to lose that part of it too.” 
The defense especially has implemented a rotational model. On the line of scrimmage, Miles Capers, Khordae Sydnor, Keanu Koht, Glenn Seabrooks, Linus Zunk, Josh Singh, Mason Taylor, Bradley Mann and Jaylon Stone have all logged meaningful snaps. The secondary has flexed between Martel Hight, Kolbey Taylor, Mark Davis, Jordan Matthews, and Jaylin Lackey at cornerback, while CJ Heard, Marlon Sewell, Dontae Carter, and even Carsen Lawrence have rotated through the safety spots. 
That level of rotation depth has done more than just keep players fresh, but has exposed younger standouts to real, high-leverage snaps early in their collegiate careers. As injuries inevitably creep into late November across the SEC, Vanderbilt’s ability to deploy its second and even third units could pay dividends.  
Lea set out this fall with a clear directive from the jump: build a deeper roster, lighten the load of wear and tear, and create a team that’s built to last late in the season. Rarely do you see preseason coaching goals manifested through as thoroughly as this one has, and it’s shown to be a difference maker for the Commodores.  
As Vanderbilt prepares for its final two contests with the College Football Playoff and the program’s momentum hanging in the balance, the question is less about whether the Commodores can hold up physically. Instead, it’s about whether they can capitalize on a uniquely rare opportunity with a healthy roster and battle-tested team.  
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Dylan Tovitz is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, originally from Livingston, New Jersey. In addition to writing for Vanderbilt on SI, he serves as a deputy sports editor for the Vanderbilt Hustler and co-produces and hosts ‘Dores Unlocked, a weekly video show about Commodore sports. Outside the newsroom, he is a campus tour guide and an avid New York sports fan with a particular passion for baseball. He also enjoys listening to country and classic rock music and staying active through tennis and baseball.
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