Open Thread: Vanderbilt Football Spring Game

In your annual reminder that football season is, uh, still a few months away, Vanderbilt will have its spring game today at 5 PM on the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.

Not that I think spring games are ever really interesting, but first, how often are you going to see something resembling a football game in a soccer/lacrosse complex? That’s right, construction at FirstBank Stadium means it’s unavailable.

As far as the game, on offense I’m looking mostly to see what Vanderbilt has at running back with Ray Davis gone. Returnee Patrick Smith will try to fight off freshmen Sedrick Alexander, A.J. Newberry, and Deago Benson, though the latter two won’t be on campus until the fall. Vanderbilt doesn’t have a quarterback competition for the first time since probably 2018; hell, second string is pretty set in stone with Ken Seals’ return.

On defense — well, how ready are the youngsters? Clark Lea’s first recruiting class had a few immediate contributors; if this year’s defense is to improve, it’s probably going to involve some second-year players stepping up.