SEC Football Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores search for QB

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - With an influx of support coming to Nashville from New Mexico State, the Vanderbilt Commodores look to Aggie transfer Diego Pavia and Utah transfer Nate Johnson to fill a void at Quarterback. Here is a short preview of the Commodores:

COACH — Clark Lea: 9-27 overall (9-27 in three seasons at Vanderbilt).

2023 SEASON — 2-10 overall, 0-8 in SEC (7th, East).

RETURNING STARTERS — 9 (4 offensive, 5 defensive).

TOP PLAYERS — QB Diego Pavia, WR Junior Sherrill, OL Steven Losoya, LB Langston Patterson, S CJ Taylor.

KEY LOSSES — QB Ken Seals, QB AJ Swann, WR Will Sheppard, WR London Humphreys, OL Bradley Ashmore, DB Jaylen Mahoney, LB Ethan Barr, DL Nate Clifton.

SEASON OUTLOOK — In 2023, Vanderbilt needed three quarterbacks to work its way through a season that ended on a 10-game losing streak. All three quarterbacks made their exit, so Lea was forced into a more transfer portal-heavy offseason. Pavia enters having completed 221 of 366 passes for 2,973 yards and 26 touchdowns for the Aggies last season. Freshman WR Junior Sherrill is the top returning target with 20 catches and 293 yards last season. On defense, the Commodores didn’t break the century mark on any of the main defensive categories, with a slight edge in rush defense ranked 104th in the country (175.3 yards per game). Lea hopes to continue a downward trend on yards allowed per game, which dropped 46 yards per game last year.

SCHEDULE:

Denotes SEC Conference game.