Feb. 27, 2017
Nashville – The Commodores became one of the first Southeastern Conference teams to open spring drills Monday morning, staging a fast-paced session in the team’s indoor facility.
Head coach Derek Mason put the squad through a brisk 75-minute session that featured conditioning, individual and position fundamentals, 7-on-7, 11-on-11 and special teams segments, and scheme development. The Commodores were restricted to limited gear due to NCAA acclimatization rules.
“It was a good first day,” Mason said. “The energy was great. Guys were intentional as they went about their business. As a coach, we need to be more verbal and do a better job of communicating, but all and all, I liked what I saw morning.”
The Commodores will return to the practice field Wednesday morning, then conduct sessions on Friday and Saturday before taking next week off for spring break.
Mason welcomes Warren Belin back to staff
Warren Belin, who coached Commodore linebackers from 2002-09 under Bobby Johnson, guided the outside linebackers through the practice on his first official day back as a Vanderbilt staffer.
Mason enticed Belin, who has coached with Wake Forest University, the University of Georgia and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers since leaving Vanderbilt, to fill a void left when Osia Lewis announced he was moving into an off-the-field role with the team to focus on fighting liver cancer that was diagnosed in early January. Lewis will serve as Mason’s special consultant and senior defensive assistant.
“I’ve known Warren for a long time and I’m pleased to bring him back to campus. It’s great to bring back somebody like Warren that really knows what this program stands for. He understands this place and he understands what I want,” Mason said.
During Belin’s earlier tenure at Vanderbilt, he mentored several standout linebackers, including All-SEC performers Hunter Hillenmeyer, Jonathan Goff and current Commodore defensive coach Chris Marve. A fourth Belin pupil at Vanderbilt, Marcus Buggs, also enjoyed a NFL career.
Array of offensive playmakers return
Commodore offensive coaches guided plenty of top returnees from a year ago through the practice. Virtually all of the players responsible for Vanderbilt’s offensive production during the 2016 season participated Monday.
The unit returns nine offensive starters, including All-SEC running back Ralph Webb, quarterback Kyle Shurmur, tight end Nathan Marcus, wide receivers Trent Sherfield, C.J. Duncan and Kalija Lipscomb, and linemen Bruno Reagan, Ean Pfeifer and Justin Skule. On Monday, Shurmur shared quarterback repetitions with Shawn Stankavage and Deuce Wallace.
Some Commodores limited in workout
A handful of Commodores, including rising senior wide receiver Caleb Scott, are expected to be limited this spring as they work toward full participation this summer. Other players limited Monday were defensive back Frank Coppet, linebacker Andre Mintze and walk-on running back Baffour Osei.
