NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With exactly one month to go until Vanderbilt opens the 2020 season at Texas A&M, the Commodores returned to the practice field Wednesday after briefly halting team activities over the weekend due to COVID-19 concerns.
“We’re glad to be back on the grass,” Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said during a video call with the media Wednesday. “We’re a little rusty in terms of the details, but overall it was good just to see these guys get back out there and move around a little bit in football. As a head coach all you can do is smile.”
The Dores only missed two schedule practices as they paused to make sure their environment was as safe as possible before returning as a team. Mason explained how dealing with recent circumstances will only help the program moving forward in further safeguarding student-athletes.
“We need to make sure we just continue with our protocols and procedures,” he said. “We had a great summer, but now we have to be smart about our interactions and let’s make sure we take care of each other. I think our guys got this message loud and clear because this stoppage just shortened the opportunity for these guys to get on the grass.
“Just when you get great momentum, it gets slowed down. I think everybody understood that.”
Defense ready to dominate
Vanderbilt hopes one of the key strengths of its team in 2020 is the defense.
First-year coordinator Ted Roof has a deep talent pool to work with and many of position groups on that side of the ball feature seasoned veterans and experienced leaders.
One of those leaders is senior linebacker Dimitri Moore. Moore had initially decided to opt out of this season, but recently announced his intention to return after some serious thought and consideration.
Moore’s grandfather died earlier this summer.
“With any young man – he couldn’t get back home for (his grandfather’s) funeral. I think that’s tough. I think it weighed on him,” Mason said. “When you’re 18-22 years old, you’re just figuring out a wave of emotions. We were supportive of him opting out and supportive of him coming back.
“He just needed time to think through it.”
Moore, who made a team-high 99 tackles in 2019, is joined by redshirt seniors Andre Mintze and Kenny Hebert, redshirt juniors Colin Anderson, Feleti Afemui, Brayden Default-Smith and Michael Owusu and redshirt sophomore Elijah McAllister in the linebacker room.
On the back end, Vandy’s secondary is led by redshirt seniors Frank Coppet and Elijah Hamilton, senior Tae Daley, redshirt juniors Allan George, DC Williams and Randall Haynie, junior Maxwell Worship, redshirt sophomores Brendon Harris, BJ Anderson and Dashaun Jerkins and sophomore Jaylen Mahoney. Those nine defensive backs combined to make 241 stops in 2019 – and that includes Coppet who missed 10 games with an injury.
George and Mahoney each had one interception a year ago and George led the squad with five pass breakups.
“These guys are moving fast. It’s an older defensive group. Older up front, older in the secondary and, obviously, Moore is back (at linebacker),” Mason said. “It’s just good to see these guys move around. I think they’re fast, I think they’re smart, they’re playing extremely physical just in terms of having been on the grass.
“It’s a loud-talking group – and that’s a sign of veteran group, when they can talk to one another.”
The Commodores up front feature senior Dayo Odeyingbo and two redshirt seniors in Drew Birchmeier and Cameron Tidd. The addition of Oklahoma transfer Derek Green and Florida transfer Malik Langham – both eligible this fall – gives Vandy more depth and redshirt junior Rutger Reitmaier and sophomore Daevion Davis should be in position to make more an impact in 2020 as well.
They’ll all be under the direction of Roof, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience under his belt and who is ready to take the Vandy defense to the next level.
“From an installation standpoint we want to install something, rep it and then as coaches have to an opportunity to go to the meeting room and fix it so the players can correct it and see improvement,” Roof said earlier this year. “Instead of jumping to the next thing, you want give players a chance to improve, so the level of confidence improves because then they see an increase level in the efficiency and execution.”
Chad Bishop covers Vanderbilt for VUCommodores.com. Follow him @MrChadBishop.
