NASHVILLE - Vanderbilt’s special teams room is built with the same urgency as the rest of the program, and that shows up in the return game as much as anywhere else.
The Commodores have spent the last couple of seasons turning the kicking game into a real weapon, with former long snapper Julian Ashby finding an NFL home and kicker Brock Taylor emerging as a serious candidate for this year’s Lou Groza Award. But Vanderbilt’s approach goes beyond specialists. Around here, major contributors on offense and defense are expected to do work on special teams too.
After Vanderbilt’s seventh day of fall camp Thursday, assistant special teams coach Shane Gallant said the Commodores expect wide receiver Junior Sherrill to be a primary kickoff returner. Alabama wide receiver transfer Cole Adams, freshman running back Evan Hampton and running back Jamezell Lassiter are also in that mix. Safety Dontae Carter has been taking reps at the off returner spot as well.
That kind of setup is not common in college football, where teams usually try to protect their top offensive and defensive players from extra hits. Vanderbilt, though, is comfortable leaning into it. Gallant said that starts with head coach Clark Lea.
“That comes from the head coach. When the head coach gives us the green light on that thing, everybody’s kind of aligned,” Gallant said.
“There’s going to be weeks where a guy may have something going on with his foot, so he can play on offense and give you 65 good snaps, but it might be best to get him off kick return that week. It is a little week-by-week basis for those guys that play a ton of snaps there, but that starts from the top down.
Coach Lea wants to change the game.”
Lea’s approval is part of a larger coaching structure that keeps special teams central to the program. Gallant said that message reaches the position rooms too, including through linebackers coach Nick Lezynski, who has emphasized the importance of handling special teams responsibilities.
For Vanderbilt, special teams is also part of how players establish themselves. It’s one of the quickest ways to earn a role, and the program treats it that way. That path has already been taken by players like Bryan Longwell, Langston Patterson and Nick Rinaldi before they became impact linebackers, and the same idea applies this year.
“We’re going to have a lot of veterans who have played a lot of snaps for us. We’re also going to have some young guys that are going to be dynamic in the future that are getting their opportunity on special teams,” Vanderbilt special teams coordinator Jeff LePak said.
Special teams usually doesn’t grab the headlines or pile up the points, but Vanderbilt sees it as the kind of work that helps win games. The Commodores have leaned into that identity, and the results over the past couple of seasons have helped push the program to a level it has not reached before.
Taylor said the expectation inside the room is simple.
“We put such an emphasis on ST [special teams] because there’s a standard in our room and that means that we can be the best room in the country. And every year, we expect that,” Taylor said.
“If I come out and have a bad field goal period, coach Kill and coach Lea come up to me and rip me, which I appreciate because this room’s just as important as an offensive or defensive skillset. I think that the constant chase toward success is really lively in our room and I think people are just hungry.”
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 🡒]