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Commodore Players Set to Report Tuesday 8/9/2004
Commodore Players Set to Report Tuesday Nashville, Tenn. – Nearly 50 returning letter winners and more than 20 newcomers are expected to report to campus Tuesday as Vanderbilt Head Coach Bobby Johnson opens his third Commodore preseason camp on Wednesday. The Commodores are scheduled to make their first appearance on the John Rich Practice Facility at 6:15 p.m., Wednesday. The team’s first full-pad session is scheduled this weekend, as is Dore Jam, the squad’s official Fan Day activity. Johnson is upbeat about the approaching camp which continues through the first Saturday in September when the Commodores host SEC East foe South Carolina in Vanderbilt Stadium. Kickoff for the Sept. 4 encounter is 11:30 a.m. “I’m excited about getting underway. Our coaches and players feel the same way,” Johnson said. “I’m very proud of the results from our summer conditioning program. This team has a lot of young men that are doing everything they can to get better. “We need to continue that momentum when we take the practice field Wednesday. We need to use every minute to get better,” Johnson added. Commodore players are expected to arrive on campus through the afternoon Tuesday. Afterward, the schedule includes a fitting stop in the equipment room, medical physicals, meetings and dinner. Fitness tests, academic and social orientation, weight training and meetings are on tap Wednesday before practice. The Commodores return a slew of key contributors from a 2003 squad that ended its home schedule with a convincing victory over Kentucky. Among the top returnees are Lombardi Trophy candidate Jovan Haye (junior defensive end), Outland Trophy candidate Justin Geisinger (senior offensive tackle) and O’Brien Award prospect Jay Cutler (junior quarterback). The Commodore offense returns 10 starters. Besides Cutler and Geisinger, other key returnees are junior wide receiver Eric Davis, senior guard Brian Kovolisky, senior wide receiver Brandon Smith and junior fullback Matthew Tant. The unit’s top two rushers from a year ago, senior tailback Norval McKenzie and junior tailback Kwane Doster, also are back. The Commodore defense returns intact. Twenty-one of the unit’s top 23 tacklers from 2003 are back, topped by Haye and Osemwegie. Other standouts include junior cornerback Dominique Morris and a pair of junior safeties in Kelechi Ohanaja and Andrew Pace. Season ticket packages, starting at $99, are available for the Commodores’ six home games. More information is available at (615) 322-GOLD or via the Vanderbilt athletics online ticketing website, www.CommodoreGameday.com. Vanderbilt Football Practice Schedule for August 11-16
Note: Commodore fans can attend the first three Vanderbilt practices. |
