NASHVILLE - Jalen Gilbert had every reason to look around after Vanderbilt’s 2-10 season in 2023 and think about a fresh start somewhere else. The Commodores were buried under a 10-game losing streak and nowhere close to where they wanted to be. But Gilbert, then a freshman, stayed put.
His decision was rooted in more than football from the start. Vanderbilt offered him the SEC, an education and a coach he believed in, and that kept him committed even when the results were ugly.
“I came to Vanderbilt for a reason. Playing in the SEC, the best conference I believe and to get a good education.
And I abide by that and that’s where my loyalty is. And it’s coach Lea [Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea] as well.
Just how he brought this from the up,” Gilbert said as to why he has stayed at Vanderbilt.
Now entering his fourth season in Nashville, Gilbert has lived through the hard part of the climb. He has had to wait for his opportunity, and he has done it without backing off. He has played in all 13 games in each of the past two seasons, and in 2025 he finished with three tackles, two pass breakups and two passes defended.
What has changed around him is just as important as anything Gilbert has done individually. He said the program’s mindset has shifted since that rough 2023 season, when the word “brotherhood” did not feel authentic behind closed doors.
“We said it was a brotherhood at 2-10, but that was fake. Our motto is ‘Anything but fake.’
Now, definitely we feel like a brotherhood and that’s how we’re playing on the field, too,” Gilbert said after Vanderbilt's sixth practice of fall camp. “These past two years, you’ve seen us come together.
We’re not just playing just to play, we’re playing for one another just because we are closer and we know why we’re playing for our brother and the man next to us.”
Gilbert said that shift was not created in one meeting or one practice. It grew during the offseason, especially once players got back to campus in the early summer and spent long stretches together.
That meant extra weekend workouts, meals with teammates from different position groups and time spent away from the people they normally knew best. Over time, those repeated days together turned into real trust.
“That’s really where the days are made. Just being together and understanding your brother and getting to know him. That’s truly your family away from your family,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert also described a major change in how Vanderbilt operates. When he first arrived, he felt the staff had to “baby” players along.
That is not the case anymore. He said the program has become player-led, and he has been one of the players helping build that culture.
“That’s how winning works. Once the players lead and once you don’t need the coaches to baby you and hold your hand, that’s really where games are won,” Gilbert said.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt's Offense Is Starting To Reveal A Few Real Camp Battles
Vanderbilts offense spent another practice session ahead of its scheduled scrimmage working through a few spots that already look like real competition points. Receiver Thomas has started to turn a corner after earlier struggles tied to injury, and his improved showing added to the sense that the Commodores may have more viable options emerging as camp moves along.
Jared Curtis, the freshman quarterback, also flashed enough to keep the conversation interesting even with some mistakes still in the mix, while Blaze Berlowitz and Jayvontay Conner showed their own varying degrees of progress. For a staff trying to sort out roles before the season fully takes shape, the next practices should say plenty about who is trending up and which offensive jobs are still up for grabs. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilts Young Defenders Are Already Pushing This Team Forward
Vanderbilts seventh day of fall camp brought another reminder that the defense may be the early edge in preseason work. Several young defenders kept showing up throughout practice, with safety Jailen Ruth, cornerbacks Cayden Daniels and Mason Lewis, linebacker Josiah Broxton and defensive lineman Jaylon Stone all drawing notice as the Commodores keep sorting through their depth and trying to settle starting spots.
The encouraging part for Vanderbilt is not just that those names flashed, but that they did so in a camp setting where roles are still very much up for grabs. If the defense continues to stay ahead of the offense, the pressure only grows on the young players to turn those practice moments into something more meaningful once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilts Identity Shift Starts With A Unit Fans Usually Overlook
Special teams is usually the part of a roster fans notice only when something goes wrong, but Vanderbilt has made it a central piece of the way it wants to play. Under Clark Lea, the Commodores have leaned into a model that asks key offensive and defensive players to matter in kickoff and punt return work, with assistant special teams coach Shane Gallant helping drive that approach alongside the staff. It is part of a broader effort to shape the programs identity around details, effort and hidden yardage.
Jeff LePak has emphasized that the group is not just a place for backups or specialists to stand around between snaps. Veteran players and younger ones alike are being pushed to contribute there, with special teams framed as a real route to earning playing time. For Vanderbilt, that makes the third phase less of an afterthought and more of an audition room, one that could end up revealing which players the staff trusts most when the games start tightening up. [Read more 🡒]