Anchor Drop, July 12, 2023: 45 Days to Kickoff

Good morning.

Optional Musical Accompaniment

We are 45 days away from Vanderbilt football’s season opener against Hawaii. Two players wear 45 for the Commodores. First, starting punter Matthew Hayball. The 6’1”, 187-pound graduate student from West Adelaide, Australia, is back for a sixth season of college football after ranking 2nd in the SEC in punting average last season.

Second, defensive back Dante “the Reaper”Kelly. The 6’3”, 201-pound freshman from Itta Bena, Mississippi, was a three-star prospect coming out of Mississippi. We were going to call him “The Inferno,” but since his actual nickname is “The Reaper,” well, that works really well too.

Four Vanderbilt baseball commits got selected in the first two rounds of the MLB Draft, and then none after that — meaning everyone else will make it to campus. Aria Gerson at the Tennessean looks at how that impacts next year’s team.

The Gold Cup semifinals being tonight prevents today from taking its usual place as the worst sports day of the year. Instead, that’s tomorrow.

Sports on TV

All times Central.

• 6:30 PM: CONCACAF Gold Cup: United States v. Panama (FS1)
• 9:00 PM: CONCACAF Gold Cup: Jamaica v. Mexico (FS1)