Vanderbilt Commodores: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Vanderbilt football season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Vanderbilt football season with what you need to know.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
Top Players | Keys To The Season
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Vanderbilt Football Schedule Analysis
– Vanderbilt Commodores Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 0-9 overall, 0-9 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Clark Lea, 1st year
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 91
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 63
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 116

Vanderbilt Commodores College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– Step One: Score. Step Two: See Step One. The Commodores had a really, really, really hard time putting the biscuit in the basket, scoring 17 points or fewer in seven games and topping out with 35 in a loss to Ole Miss. Overall, the O averaged just 330 yards per game with no rushing attack and without enough of a passing game to make up for it.

Enter new offensive coordinator David Raih – an NFL assistant coach over the last several years who knows how to deal with wide receivers. He’s going to open things up for new head coach Clark Lea as the Commodores try getting more dangerous and more explosive right away.

The quarterback situation is fine. Ken Seals rose up as a freshman and showed off the passing upside to grow into the job, and fellow sophomore Mike Wright – who brings a bit more mobility – is getting a shot, too. But the passing game has to go from promising to more dangerous after averaging just 6.6 yards per throw.

Leading receiver Cam Johnson is back after making 56 catches for 545 yards and three scores, and 6-4 seniors Amir Abdur-Rahim and Chris Pierce add more deep threat pop. Throw in 28-catch TE Ben Bresnahan, and the veteran parts are there to work with.

The offensive front has some tweaking to do. The running game has to be better, but the pass protection wasn’t all that terrible. Three starters are back around veteran Tyler Steen at left tackle – most likely; there will be juggling done – but there isn’t a whole lot of massive bulk up front.

Leading rusher Keyon Henry-Brooks is in the transfer portal, but second-leading rusher Ja’Veon Marlow is back after running for 186 yards. In the mix as the likely No. 1 is Re’Mahn Davis, a 1,259-yard rusher for Temple who had a great freshman season but struggled to get going last year.

NEXT: Vanderbilt Commodores College Football Preview 2021: Defense

College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Vanderbilt Commodores season with what you need to know

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Vanderbilt Commodores season with what you need to know.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Schedule Analysis
– Vanderbilt Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 3-9 overall, 1-7 in SEC
Head Coach: Derek Mason, 7th year, 27-47
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 99
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 116
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 62

No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Offense 3 Things To Know

It was a rough run. The offense that scored 370 points in 2018 only managed 198, coming up with 14 or fewer points seven times and finishing dead last in the SEC in scoring. The O averaged fewer than 300 yards per game, was dead last in the SEC in rushing, and was second-to-last in passing.

Enter Todd Fitch, the former Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator who steps in to try finding something that consistently works, preferably with the passing game.

If it’s possible to have less than no experience at a position, that’s the Vanderbilt quarterback situation.

Leading passer Riley Neal is done, second-leading passer Deuce Wallace is transferring, and Mo Hasan left for USC. The hope is for true freshman Mike Wright to be ready to roll right out of the box. He has 6-3, 190-pound size and the athleticism be dangerous whenever he’s in the open field. He’ll have to battle with fellow recruit Ken Seals along with JUCO transfers Danny Clark and Jeremy Moussa.


CFN in 60 Video: Vanderbilt Commodores Preview
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Leading receiver Kalija Lipscomb is done after a disappointing year – not his fault – but sophomore Cam Johnson is back after finishing second with 30 catches for 316 yards and three scores and 6-4, 225-pound senior Chris Pierce. Tight end Jared Pinkney is done, but 6-4, 245-pound Ben Bresnahan has good size and upside.

The offensive line has to be a whole lot better. It didn’t do much of anything for the ground game, and it struggled to do anything consistently well in pass protection. To be fair, it was a rebuilding group that started a slew of young parts, and now there’s more work to do.

Left tackle Devin Cochran left for Georgia Tech, but in comes Stephen Spanellis from Michigan to potentially take over a starting guard spot.

No matter what, the front five has to do more for a ground attack that finished with fewer than 1,500 yards and just 11 touchdowns, even though Ke’Shawn Vaughn ran for 1,028 yards and nine scores.

Vaughn is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer now, but 6-1, 202-pound Keyon Brooks is back after finishing second on the team with 252 yards and a score. Freshman Rocko Griffin was a nice recruit, but 211-pound junior Mitchell Pryor and 5-11, 190-pound sophomore Ja’Veon Marlow will be in the rotation.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Vanderbilt Commodores Defense 3 Things To Know