FanPost

Vanderbilt Football: Optimism Squared

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Ralph+Webb+Temple+v+Vanderbilt+6sQU4o48iUWl.0.jpgComing off a 3-9 season that saw us lose to Temple, many would think we're returning to our "Same Ole Vandy" roots. Many think that Vanderbilt is the stepping stones of SEC Jobs, and not the destination of SEC Jobs. You can't argue that many SEC programs are more attractive than Vanderbilt, but you also can't argue that the man whose running Vanderbilt wants to be there. Seems a little bit crazy doesn't it? Someone wants to be at Vanderbilt...wants to stay at Vanderbilt. Our loyalty in this rough patch will be rewarded and I'm going to tell you why.

Things aren't changing any time soon

Derek Mason recently told recruits that the running backs and tight ends would still be featured in our offense. Our defense is still going to be a 3-4 defense, and next year it's looking to be nasty with so many guys coming back. Charles Bankins has the special teams units playing exceptional. But the key phrase I heard in this is "we're not changing anything." Look at Arkansas. They stuck to their guns and recruited what they needed, and in turn now we're seeing what they can do. They had a vision and Derek Mason has a vision too. Did Karl Dorrell do badly this season? Absolutely he did. I won't argue that at all. But we're going to be a West Coast Football team and we're going to be able to hit you in the mouth.

I love James Franklin. I loved his energy here, I loved his passion for the game here, but most importantly I loved what he brought to the table here. He and Mason aren't so different because they both saw Vanderbilt as a potential championship winning football team. Make no bones about it with Florida and Georgia, not to mention resurging Tennessee and Kentucky programs, we're going to need to be stout on both sides of the ball. The downside on James Franklin was the fact he didn't put the emphasis on the character part of Vanderbilt Football, guys like Kimbrow and Cunningham, as well as Seymour all had character issues. They all are gone now, which means more scholarships for recruiting season...speaking of which.

Recruiting is insane right now

247 Sports has us listed as 51st in recruiting classes right now, just below Missouri in the SEC. That's with only 13 commitments so far. But some of these kids they have us going after? Well...I'll let you take a look.

Potential Commits

OLB- Nehemiah Mitchell, San Francisco City College, 6 ft 5, 255 lbs, 4.7 40 time (Only major school who offered him)

RB- Bradrick Shaw, Hoover High (AL), 6 ft 1, 205 lbs, 4.7 40 time (Currently the favorite over Alabama) *Hudl is private

DE- Luc Bequette, Catholic For Boys (AR), 6 ft 2, 290 lbs, 5.2 40 time (Currently committed to Cal, projected flipping to Vandy)

CB- Quenton Meeks, Del Notre High (CA), 6 ft 2, 195 lbs, 4.5 40 time (Favorite over Washington)

For sure commitments

CB- Donovan Sheffield, Ensworth (TN), 5 ft 11, 170 lbs, 4.55 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

ILB- Josh Smith, Oakland (TN), 6 ft 4, 225 lbs, 4.8 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

OLB- Caleb Pert, Hamilton High School (AZ), 6 ft 0, 240 lbs, 4.9 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

QB- Kyle Shurmur, La Salle College High School (PA), 6 ft 4, 215 lbs, No listed 40 (Committed to Vanderbilt) and yes he is Philadelphia Eagles' Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur's son.

ILB/OLB/FB- Dare Odeyingbo, Cisterian Prep (TX), 6 ft 1, 243 lbs, No listed 40 (Committed to Vanderbilt)

RB- Josh Crawford, Elmore (AL), 5 ft 11, 215 lbs, 4.6 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

OL- Justin Skule, Centreville (VA), 6 ft 6, 300 lbs, 5.46 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

DE/OLB-T.J Smith, Colquitt County (GA), 6 ft 4, 260 lbs, No listed 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

TE- Sam Dobbs, Landmark Christian School (GA), 6 ft 4.5, 220 lbs, 5.01 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

FS- Andrew Rector, Father Ryan (TN), 6 ft 1, 195 lbs, 4.53 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

OT- Ean Pfeifer, Bentonville (AR), 6 ft 5, 292 lbs, 5.17 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

OG- Darion DeBrossard, Shiloh (GA), 6 ft 5, 325 lbs, 4.92 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt)

TE/DE- Kyle Anderton, Station Camp (TN) 6 ft 4, 255 lbs, 4.9 40 time (Committed to Vanderbilt) Hudl won't help he was a high school Quarterback

I love this class, they play faster on film than they're clocked at and all of them have a little attitude about them. Very good looking group to match what Mason brought in last season. Obvious Lealao was the star last year, but Freebeck also comes from NFL pedigree. Emmanuel Smith is another rising star off of last year's recruiting class who could step up big in 2015. Overall you've seen a commitment from Derek Mason to get some big, strong, long, tough dudes to come into the program and make Vanderbilt a big and nasty program.

The staff is evolving

We know about Karl Dorrell, we know about Marc Lubick, we know about Bill Hughan, and now it looks like David Kotulski is getting the boot too. That has to be Mason's way of saying "I messed up and we didn't execute the way we're capable of executing." I didn't think Kotulski did horrible, but apparently Mason disagrees. So far we've only heard about potentially seeing Mike Sanford Jr. walk through the door as well as former Texas Strength Coach Jeff "Mad Dog" Madden. Madden is a former Vanderbilt alumni who has a National Championship Ring from Texas, so he knows what it takes to win. He was also around Michigan for a period of time. Texas and Michigan are two of the better schools in terms of prestige in the area so it is a pretty cool thing to get Madden back. I think he probably got a raw deal at Texas because those guys were always jacked and strong.

I'm seeing better decisions coming from Mason now with that kind of hire and I'm also seeing alumni coming back into the program. I don't know every last person from Vanderbilt who is in coaching now, but I do know Larry Smith is at Jacksonville State and I also know that Austyn Carter-Samuels is at Missouri. If either of those can help us in any sort of fashion then I would love to see them back in the program. But I think the think we can all agree on is, we want coaches who want to be here, we want to win, but most of all we want to compete every single down.

Where do we stand?

We were the SEC's doormat this past season no way to deny it. That's fine, we needed an adjustment period anyway. James Franklin ran a hybrid type of pro style offense and it was apparent that Mason wanted a West Coast Offense with a strong running game. It was exactly like when Petrino left Arkansas, they left their vertical passing game for a downhill running attack. It took a little time but it worked out for them. The same can be said about Vanderbilt, this was the transition year, next year is going to be the year we come back. But the key to this is the players believing, recruits believing, and fans believing. So I encourage you to encourage them every chance you get, you have no idea how much it means to players and coaches to be told how much they're appreciated. It's a brutal business sometimes but they all want to be here and they all want to win too.

Hope you guys enjoyed this. #AnchorDown

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