Vanderbilt Football Fall Camp has been well underway since the beginning of August, and the Commodores are just 10 days away from their season opener against Virginia Tech. As the clock ticks down to kickoff, position battles have heated up and stars have begun to emerge. While some questions still remain, head coach Clark Lea and his team are confident that they are improving daily.
“We’re on a mission and that’s to win,” freshman safety Dontae Carter said.
Here are The Hustler’s three main takeaways from Tuesday’s fall camp session.
Defensive weapons in the secondary
After Vanderbilt ranked last in the SEC in passing yards and rushing yards allowed per game last season, the Commodores needed to find defensive playmakers this offseason. With Lea now serving as defensive coordinator, many of the defensive position rooms appear stronger.
At safety, Lea has several strong options to anchor the secondary. Carter is likely to be a key contributor on defense this season, already making the 247Sports True Freshman All-American Preseason list. The Texas native enrolled in the spring of 2024, giving him extra time to adjust to Lea’s defense and SEC-level football.
“Dontae [Carter] has elite playmaking ability and really good instincts,” Lea said on Tuesday. “He’s added weight to his frame and he’s a guy that is going to have a role for us.”
Veteran safety CJ Taylor will be another playmaker in the secondary as he looks to cement himself as one of the stars of Lea’s defense. After a successful junior campaign in which he accrued 55 tackles and 2 interceptions, Taylor will use his experience to lead Vanderbilt’s defense. Transfer Randon Fontenette, playing in a hybrid, secondary-linebacker role, and returning cornerback Martel Hight will also increase the depth of the secondary this season. While there remain questions about the number of quality cornerback options, Tyson Russell and Wyoming transfer Kolbey Taylor will play key roles as two of the team’s top corners. There is lots of upside for this secondary, and the combination of veterans and skilled newcomers could be an asset to Lea.
QB Battle: Pavia in the driver’s seat
Earlier this spring, Vanderbilt saw the departure of almost its entire quarterback room. However, it was reloaded with the additions of Utah transfer Nate Johnson and New Mexico State transfers Diego Pavia and Blaze Berlowitz. While both Johnson and Berlowitz were present for the spring semester, the quarterback competition seemed to be squarely between Johnson and Pavia even before the latter arrived.
It seems that Pavia has pulled ahead in the quarterback race. While arm strength has been of concern when considering Pavia over Johnson and will undoubtedly need to be game-tested, Pavia has shown some quality reps throwing the ball, both stationary and on the move. Still, the offense that new offensive coordinator Tim Beck runs doesn’t traditionally air the ball out in the passing game. Pavia is the likely frontrunner because of his consistency and ability to possess the ball, a point of emphasis for the Vanderbilt coaching staff since the start of camp.
“[Pavia] has been steady [throughout fall camp],” Lea said. “He’s very consistent, and he’s very driven, and he’s got clear goals for himself and the team.”
The quarterback competition will continue until the first game and, depending on early performance, throughout the season. Pavia is seemingly the frontrunner, especially considering he’s worked with Beck in the past. His history of success should help Vanderbilt build off of an offense that ranked last in yards per game last season.
What to expect from Tim Beck’s offense
Vanderbilt made some of its most impactful additions from the portal on the offensive line. This will help Beck’s run game find some ground. These new additions, such as Chase Mitchell (Liberty), Steven Losoya (Mississippi State) and Steven Hubbard (UTEP), paired with impact players that Vanderbilt was able to retain, such as Grayson Morgan and Gunnar Hansen, make the offensive line perhaps the most improved room on the team. With Beck’s offensive approach typically relying on deception and moving the ball primarily via the run game, the offensive line will play a big factor.
Vanderbilt will also have options in the passing game with graduate transfer Loic Fouonji at the wide receiver position.
“[Fouonji] has been a welcome addition,” Lea said. “He’s a tough, consistent playmaker who has challenged us defensively.”
Fouonji played in 45 games and averaged 14.5 yards per catch in his career with Texas Tech. With the departures of Will Sheppard to Colorado and London Humphreys to Georgia, his experience will likely be an essential addition.
As fall camp approaches its end and the countdown to Vanderbilt’s first kickoff ticks down, the feeling around Vanderbilt’s staff is that this team is moving in the right direction.
