NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Exactly one month from the season-opener against Virginia Tech, the Vanderbilt football team opened its fall camp on Wednesday morning in Music City.
The Commodores commenced with their first official practice under fourth-year head coach Clark Lea on a sweltering, humid day. The session opened on the outdoor fields behind the McGugin Center before transitioning inside for the second half of practice. While the Dores finished inside, Lea reminded the team that conditions could be similar in FirstBank Stadium come Aug. 31.
“We wanted to get some sun exposure that we’re starting to get acclimated, but not too much that we impact the rest of the week because it’s going to be a hot week,” Lea told the assembled media after practice.
It was the first fall practice since the arrival of director of football sports performance Robert Stiner in January, giving the returning players nearly seven full months in his new strength and conditioning program. Lea pointed out how much the gains in strength, speed and power translate to practice.
“What it means is you can focus on the margins for the win,” Lea explained. “When you’re just able to out-run someone or the person you’re defending is not able to out-run you, you can get away with a lot of stuff. The way the space collapses around the ball feels different. The way breakouts accelerate into space feels different. What we’re most proud of is we’ve made those physical gains, not just while maintaining speed, but enhancing speed and enhancing explosive power.”
The other area Lea pointed to drastic improvement was the offensive line. Gage Pitchford was quick to praise offensive line coach Chris Klenakis.
“(Klenakis) brings energy and intention,” Pitchford said. “He’s so detailed in everything he does. From film, he’ll know play 92 from the Nevada game in 2002, what hash it was on, what time was on the clock. The love he has for the game has really rubbed off on me and the fellas in the (offensive line) room.”
The Commodores return to the practice field Thursday and Friday morning before the first day off Saturday.
Vandy’s season opens Aug. 31 when Virginia Tech visits FirstBank Stadium. Single-game tickets are on sale to the general public on Thursday. More information is available here.
