Birmingham Bowl unusual for Clark Lea, Commodores

On December 28, 2024By Littum

For some teams, bowl games outside of the playoffs can be a consolation prize that players aren’t too excited about. Instead of attending bowl practices, some players are preparing for the NFL draft or looking for NIL money in the transfer portal.

So far, though, that hasn’t been the case for Vanderbilt football.

The Commodores (6-6) had most of their 2024 roster in Birmingham in preparation for Friday’s game (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). Five players who opted to transfer – Devin Lee, Will Faris, Taco Wright, Jeffrey Ugochukwu and Evan Herrmann – are still on the team.

“It means a lot to me just to be a part of something that cares about itself,” coach Clark Lea said after the team’s practice Thursday. “These guys, they feel a real connection and they have passion for what this team is and what we’re fighting to achieve. And tomorrow is going to be a celebration.”

The Commodores seek their first winning season since 2013 when they take on Georgia Tech (7-5), a team that has had several transfers of its own.

“Every moment we have with each other is special,” safety CJ Taylor said. “Like Coach Lea said in the huddle, tomorrow is the end of Team 4 after the game. So just all the genuine connections we built through this whole process, this whole process is special.”

Vanderbilt injury report pretty clean heading into Birmingham Bowl

Vanderbilt hasn’t suffered any new major injuries since the end of the season, though the Commodores will be without a handful of contributors who were injured during the regular season. Most notable among this group are AJ Newberry and Zaylin Wood.

Running back Sedrick Alexander, who suffered a lower-body injury during the Ball State game that played through the rest of the season, is one player who has benefited from the extra rest.

“I’m fine,” Alexander said. “Probably the healthiest I’ve been since I got hurt at Ball State.”

Why Diego Pavia’s injunction won’t be a distraction for Vanderbilt football in the Birmingham Bowl

Vanderbilt has had a busy week for reasons unrelated to the bowl game. Last week, quarterback Diego Pavia was enjoined by a court ruling that allowed him an extra year of eligibility to return to the Commodores in 2025. On Monday, the NCAA granted a blanket waiver to former junior college players who would have been in their senior year of eligibility in 2024-25, paving the way for offensive lineman Steven Hubbard to return as well.

Hubbard played guard for most of the season, but was listed as the starter at quick tackle after Gunnar Hansen’s transfer to Florida State.

Although the team took time to celebrate the rulings, Lea said he has preached to the team the importance of staying focused instead of letting the ruling become a distraction.

“I think there’s a lot of energy around guys coming back,” Lea said, “I think beyond just Diego and everyone who’s made the decision to come back and kind of build into what we have to do going forward. I think what the challenge is, or what the potential distraction is, is focusing too much on what’s next, instead of where we are right now to the group is to finish well, to finish it, we started.”

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.