Team Information
Ground | FirstBank Stadium |
City | Nashville, Tennessee |
Conference | Southeastern, |
Nickname | Commodores |
About Vanderbilt Commodores Football
Vanderbilt Commodores football team represents Vanderbilt University in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). They compete in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the East Division. Clark Lea is the current head coach leading the team. The Commodores home games are played at FirstBank Stadium, located on the university’s campus in Nashville, Tennessee.
Name of Team | Vanderbilt Commodores |
First season | 1890 |
Athletic director | Candice Storey Lee |
Head coach | Clark Lea |
Stadium | FirstBank Stadium (capacity: 40,550) |
Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
Conference | Southeastern Conference |
Division | Eastern |
Field surface | FieldTurf |
Conference titles | 14 (12 SIAA, 2 SoCon) |
Division titles | None |
Fight song | Dynamite! |
Mascot | Mr. C |
Rivals | Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Georgia Tech (dormant), Sewanee (dormant) |
Consensus All-Americans | 7 |
Vanderbilt Commodores Football Introduction
Vanderbilt University started their college football program in 1890. Throughout their journey they have been associated with various conferences and even played independently during the initial years. They played independently from 1890 till 1894. After that, they joined the SIAA in 1895 and stayed in the conference till 1921. After that, they joined the Southern Conference from 1922 to 1932. Currently, they are affiliated with the Southeastern Conference, which they joined in 1933 and have been a member of since. They adopted the nickname Commodores after the 1897 seasons, and since then, they have played 1,250 games over 126 seasons.
Vanderbilt Commodores Football History
Vanderbilt University started its football program in 1890. Their first game was against the University of Nashville. The game ended with 40-0 and was led by coach Elliott H. Jones. Jone guided the team for two more years and achieved an overall record of 8-5 during his tenure as head coach. In 1893, W.J. Keller took over as head coach, finishing his first season with a 6-1 record.
Vanderbilt became a founding member of the Southern Intercollege Athletic Association (SIAA) In 1894, along with Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Sewanee, and North Carolina. They won their first SIAA Championship in 1897 under the guidance of coach R.G. Acton, completing the season with a 6-0-1 record without allowing any opponent to score. Acton coached from 1896 to 1898 and ended his tenure with a 10-7-3 record.
They won their second championship in year 1901, led by coach W.H. Watkins, with a 6-1-1 season. The following year, they fell short of victory when they lost the match against Sewanee, ending their season 8-1. In 1903, under coach James H. "Jimmy" Henry, Vanderbilt secured another championship with a 6-1-1 record, sharing the title as co-champions.
In 1904, Dan McGugin took charge as the head coach of the program and led the team till 1934. He had an impressive coaching record of 197-55-19. During his time as the head coach, the Commodores won eight SIAA championships and two Southern conference titles in the years 1906 and 1911.
In 1922, Vanderbilt joined the Southern Conference and remained a member until 1932, when it became part of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Despite a long history of competition, Vanderbilt has yet to win an SEC Championship in football.
Vanderbilt Commodores Football Coach
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program has had 28 head coaches since it was formed in 1890.
Head Coach
Clark Lea, born on November 11, 1981, has been the head coach of the Vanderbilt commodores football team since 2021. He was appointed as the 29th head coach on December 14, 2020, succeeding Derek Mason.
In his first season in 2021, Lea led the Commodores to a 2–10 record. The 2022 season showed improvement, with the team finishing 5–7, including notable victories over SEC East rivals Kentucky and Florida. Following this progress, Lea's contract was extended by three years in the 2023 off-season, securing his position through the 2029 season. However, the 2023 season saw the team finish with a 2–10 record once again.
Here is a table of all the head coaches of the Vanderbilt Commodores Football team:
Coach Name | Tenure |
Clark Lea | 2021–present |
Derek Mason | 2014–2020 |
James Franklin | 2011–2013 |
Robbie Caldwell | 2010 |
Bobby Johnson | 2002–2009 |
Woody Widenhofer | 1997–2001 |
Rod Dowhower | 1995–1996 |
Gerry DiNardo | 1991–1994 |
Watson Brown | 1986–1990 |
George MacIntyre | 1979–1985 |
Fred Pancoast | 1975–1978 |
Steve Sloan | 1973–1974 |
Bill Pace | 1967–1972 |
John Green | 1963–1966 |
Art Guepe | 1953–1962 |
Bill Edwards† | 1949–1952 |
Doby Bartling | 1944–1945 |
E. H. Alley | 1943 |
Red Sanders† | 1940–1942, 1946–1948 |
Ray Morrison† | 1918, 1935–1939 |
Dan McGugin† | 1904–1917, 1919–1934 |
James R. Henry | 1903 |
Walter H. Watkins | 1901–1902 |
James L. Crane | 1899–1900 |
R. G. Acton | 1896–1898 |
Charles L. Upton | 1895 |
Henry Worth Thornton | 1894 |
W. J. Keller | 1893 |
Elliott Jones | 1890–1892 |
Vanderbilt Commodores Football Stadium: FirstBank Stadium
FirstBank Stadium, formerly known as Dudley Field and Vanderbilt Stadium, is located in Nashville, Tennessee. It was completed in 1922, and was the first stadium built in the South designed exclusively for college football. The Vanderbilt University football team uses this stadium as its home field.
During its history as Vanderbilt Stadium, it hosted the Tennessee Oilers (now the Titans) for the 1998 NFL season. Additionally, it was the venue for the inaugural Music City Bowl in 1998 and has been the site for numerous Tennessee state high school football championships.
FirstBank Stadium is notable for being the smallest football stadium in the Southeastern Conference. It was the largest stadium in Nashville until the opening of Nissan Stadium in 1999.
Vanderbilt Commodores Football Rivals
Vanderbilt Commodores has many notable rivalries with other college football programs. Some of the most notable rivalries include:
Tennessee
The rivalry between Vanderbilt and Tennessee is one of the oldest and most storied in college football history. They first met in 1892, and since then these two teams have clashed 117 times. Tennessee leads the series with 79–33-5. Although Vanderbilt initially dominated the series, winning 19 of the first 24 matchups, Tennessee has claimed dominance since 1928, boasting a 77–14–2 record against Vanderbilt until 2022. Vanderbilt's longest win streak stands at nine games from 1901 to 1913, while Tennessee's longest win streak lasted 22 games from 1983 to 2004.
Georgia
The rivalry between Vanderbilt and Georgia dates back to 1893, with the two teams meeting annually since 1968. As divisional opponents in the SEC East, their matchups hold added significance. Through the 2022 season, Georgia leads the series with a 60-20–2 record. The games rotate between Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens.
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt's cross-divisional rival in the SEC, Ole Miss, adds another layer of competition to the Commodores' schedule. They first mmet in 1894, and since then these teams have faced off 92 times. Ole Miss leads the series with 51-39-2 record. However, Vanderbilt secured the largest margin of victory in the series with a 91-point win in 1915 and held the longest win streak at 18 games from 1894 to 1938.
Vanderbilt Commodores Football Record and stats
The Vanderbilt Commodores have won 14 conference championships, eight outright and six shared titles.
Recognized as national champions six times, for the years 1906, 1910, 1911, 1918, 1921, and 1922.
The team had eight undefeated seasons in 1890, 1897, 1904, 1910, 1921, 1922, 1943, and 1944.
Conference championships
Season | Conference | Coach | Overall record | Conference record |
1897 | SIAA | R. G. Acton | 6–0–1 | 3–0–1 |
1901 | W. H. Watkins | 6–1–1 | 6–0–1 | |
1903† | James H. Henry | 6–1–1 | 5–1–1 | |
1904 | Dan McGugin | 9–0 | 5–0 | |
1905 | 7–1 | 6–0 | ||
1906† | 8–1 | 6–0 | ||
1907 | 5–1–1 | 4–0 | ||
1910† | 8–0–1 | 5–0 | ||
1911 | 8–1 | 6–0 | ||
1912 | 8–1–1 | 4–0–1 | ||
1915 | 9–1 | 5–0 | ||
1921† | 7–0–1 | 4–0–1 | ||
1922† | SoCon | 8–0–1 | 3–0 | |
1923† | 5–2–1 | 3–0–1 |
Vanderbilt Commodores Football Roster
Vanderbilt Commodores Roster includes players from diverse backgrounds. Players on the offensive side include:
No | Player Name | Position |
7 | Drew Dickey | QB |
18 | Hayden Moses | QB |
8 | Ken Seals | QB |
12 | Brennan Storer | QB |
5 | AJ Swann | QB |
2 | Walter Taylor | QB |
28 | Sedrick Alexander | RB |
35 | Deago Benson | RB |
25 | Dylan Betts-Pauley | RB |
47 | Isaiah Fontan | RB |
13 | Chase Gillespie | RB |
46 | AJ Newberry | RB |
4 | Patrick Smith | RB |
93 | Gabe Fisher | FB |
81 | Hutch Baird | WR |
17 | Gamarion Carter | WR |
39 | Jackson Heis | WR |
15 | Richie Hoskins | WR |
83 | London Humphreys | WR |
33 | Derek Kee | WR |
80 | Wilson Long | WR |
88 | Ezra McAllister | WR |
6 | Jayden McGowan | WR |
89 | Shawn Naim | WR |
14 | Will Sheppard | WR |
85 | Junior Sherrill | WR |
3 | Quincy Skinner Jr. | WR |
16 | Daveon Walker | WR |
31 | Landon Wells | WR |
84 | Justin Ball | TE |
49 | Chris Boyle | TE |
48 | Kamrean Johnson | TE |
18 | Logan Kyle | TE |
86 | Josh Palmer | TE |
16 | Cole Spence | TE |
50 | Bradley Ashmore | OL |
73 | Charlie Clark | OL |
55 | Gunnar Hansen | OL |
72 | Levi Harber | OL |
62 | Julian Hernandez | OL |
56 | Jake Ketschek | OL |
60 | Duncan MacDonald | OL |
68 | Barrett Maddox | OL |
66 | Anthony Miles | OL |
76 | Grayson Morgan | OL |
57 | Leyton Nelson | OL |
71 | Gage Pitchford | OL |
75 | Misael Sandoval | OL |
70 | David Siegel | OL |
69 | Cooper Starks | OL |
77 | Junior Uzebu | OL |
61 | Trent Weaver | OL |
78 | Keegan Wechsler | OL |
52 | Kevo Wesley | OL |
64 | Delfin Xavier Castillo | OL |
On the defensive side, notable players include:
No | Player Name | Position |
11 | Darren Agu | DE |
15 | Nate Clifton | DE |
95 | Linus Zunk | DE |
96 | Brayden Bapst | DL |
9 | Daevion Davis | DL |
90 | Ted Gregoire | DL |
91 | Christian James | DL |
63 | Jacob Katona | DL |
99 | Devin Lee | DL |
94 | Bradley Mann | DL |
5 | Yilanan Ouattara | DL |
31 | Michael Spencer | DL |
98 | De'Marion Thomas | DL |
32 | Ethan Barr | LB |
59 | Ty Bartholomew | LB |
56 | Alex Brown | LB |
29 | Miles Capers | LB |
58 | Carson Casteel | LB |
22 | Bryce Cowan | LB |
44 | Ethan Crisp | LB |
0 | Aeneas DiCosmo | LB |
33 | BJ Diakite | LB |
51 | Daniel Gaw | LB |
92 | Evan Herrmann | LB |
45 | Dante Kelly | LB |
20 | Prince Kollie | LB |
54 | Bryan Longwell | LB |
19 | Kane Patterson | LB |
10 | Langston Patterson | LB |
43 | Dominic Rezac | LB |
24 | Nicholas Rinaldi | LB |
37 | Jailen Ruth | LB |
1 | CJ Taylor | LB |
42 | Errington Truesdell | LB |
12 | Jeffrey Ugochukwu | LB |
26 | BJ Anderson | CB |
30 | Trudell Berry | CB |
46 | Mustafa Dannett | CB |
34 | Quantaves Gaskins | CB |
25 | Martel Hight | CB |
40 | Jacob Rolen | CB |
8 | Tyson Russell | CB |
39 | Jameson Wharton | CB |
36 | Alan Wright | CB |
23 | Jaylen Mahoney | DB |
35 | Payne Daniel | S |
17 | Jalen Gilbert | S |
27 | John Howse IV | S |
21 | Savion Riley | S |
41 | Steven Sannieniola | S |
7 | Marlen Sewell | S |
2 | De'Rickey Wright | S |
Vanderbilt Commodores Football Schedule
The Vanderbilt Commodores Football matchups for the regular season are as follows:
Date | Opponent |
Sat, Aug 31 | Virginia Tech |
Sat, Sep 7 | Alcorn State |
Sat, Sep 14 | Georgia State |
Sat, Sep 21 | Missouri |
Sat, Oct 5 | Alabama |
Sat, Oct 12 | Kentucky |
Sat, Oct 19 | Ball State |
Sat, Oct 26 | Texas |
Sat, Nov 2 | Auburn |
Sat, Nov 9 | South Carolina |
Sat, Nov 23 | LSU |
Sat, Nov 30 | Tennessee |
FAQ's On Vanderbilt Commodores Football
A. Vanderbilt University started its football program in 1890.
A. Vanderbilt football competes in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the East Division.
A. Clark Lea is the current head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores football team.
A. Vanderbilt has won 14 conference championships.
A. The Vanderbilt Commodores play their home games at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.