Anchor Drop, August 3, 2021: 32 Days to Kickoff

Good morning.

Optional Musical Accompaniment

Yep, I have finally decided to stop being lazy and bring back the Anchor Drop and the countdown to kickoff. We’re now at 32 days to kickoff, and linebacker Ethan Barr has claimed 32 as his number after wearing 50 last season. The 6’3”, 236-pound sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas, was a late addition to the 2020 recruiting class after flipping his commitment from Tulane (sorry, Green Wave), and he earned three starts and made 37 tackles as a true freshman in 2020.

Women’s basketball lands a new commitment:

The Tennessean’s Gentry Estes asks why Kumar Rocker is not returning to Vanderbilt after not signing with the Mets. It’s a decent question, though as I wrote yesterday I think the ultimate answer is pride.

Some football preview stuff: Bill Connelly at ESPN previews the SEC East ($) and predictably doesn’t think much of Vanderbilt (SP+ projects 3.1 wins, while Team Speed Kills opens its SEC football preview series by previewing our Commodores (I don’t know who the hell that guy is that they brought in to answer questions, but he predicts a 4-8 season.)

And this hasn’t been announced by Vanderbilt, but VCU’s 2021-22 basketball schedule indicates that they’re coming to Memorial Gym on November 17.

And, with the Texas Legislature grandstanding over conference realignment, some State Senator decided to bring us into this:

(One thing I do have to say is that I very much love how Texas fans respond to a TCU alum State Senator dunking on them about their football team’s recent record against TCU is to flex about the size of their athletic budget and the fact that TCU’s brand name won’t get them an SEC invite.)