March 10, 2007
Order 2007 Football Season Tickets Starting at $99
View 2007 Commodore Football Spring Prospectus
 |
|
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt Head Coach Bobby Johnson will greet more than 50 returning football letterwinners when the Commodores open Spring Practice Tuesday, March 13, at the John Rich Facility.
Johnson, preparing for his sixth Spring Practice at Vanderbilt, is eager to get his squad back on the field. “I’m excited, our coaches are excited, and the players are excited to get back to work. All of us want to make the most of every practice opportunity available this spring,” Johnson said.
Spring drills for the Commodores are expected to continue into early April. The featured attraction of Vanderbilt’s 15 practice sessions, the Black & Gold Scrimmage, is scheduled Saturday, March 31. The Black & Gold Scrimmage, matching the offense against their defensive counterparts, is open to the public, without charge, and expected to start at 10 a.m., in Vanderbilt Stadium.
The head coach will see numerous familiar faces. Fifty-three letterwinners from the 2006 squad are back, the most ever in Johnson’s Vanderbilt tenure. The returnees include nine offensive starters, eight starters on defense, and two starting kicking specialists.
Topping the list of returning starters are a pair of All-America candidates in receiver Earl Bennett and linebacker Jonathan Goff. Bennett, a junior from Birmingham, Ala., appears within reach of several Southeastern Conference career receiving marks and comes off an 82-catch campaign in 2006, the seventh highest single-season receptions total in SEC history. Last year, Bennett became the first SEC receiver ever to amass at least 75 catches in two different seasons. Goff, a Butkus Award candidate and three-year starter from Lynn, Mass., earned All-SEC honors last year as one of the league’s top 10 tacklers. He enters the 2007 season third among all SEC defensive players in active career tackles.
Several other Commodores will deserve all-conference consideration. Senior offensive tackles Brian Stamper and Chris Williams have received All-SEC recognition in recent years. Senior defensive end Curtis Gatewood and junior safety Reshard Langford rank among the league’s top returnees in quarterback sacks and interceptions, respectively. Junior quarterback Chris Nickson enters his second season as a starter off one of the most productive campaigns in team history.
One spring goal for Johnson’s staff will be to find likely replacements for five graduated starters: wide receiver Marlon White, tight end/H-back Steven Bright, defensive linemen Chris Booker and Ray Brown, and linebacker Kevin Joyce.
“We will be evaluating virtually every position as we look to replace starters from a year ago,” Johnson said. “One of the things that’s most exciting about this spring is the fact that we have a lot of experienced guys who have shown an ability to play at a high level,” Johnson said. “For that reason alone, I’m expecting this to be a highly competitive spring for our team.
Johnson praised his squad and the team’s weight staff for a highly productive offseason conditioning program. “Our guys have had a great offseason in the weight room and have prepared for the best Spring Practice since our staff arrived on campus,” Johnson said. “I think it’s a tribute to great team leadership and an outstanding conditioning staff directed by Coach (John) Sisk.”
The Commodores open the 2007 season with four straight home games in Vanderbilt Stadium. The season opener against Richmond is Sept. 1, followed by league encounters with SEC West Division foes Alabama on Sept. 8 and Ole Miss on Sept. 15. The Commodores also host Eastern Michigan Sept. 29 before making their first road trip to Auburn Oct. 6.
Season ticket packages starting at $99 each for Vanderbilt’s eight-game home schedule are currently available at the Commodore Athletic Ticket Office in McGugin Center on campus, via telephone at (615) 322-3544, or online at the official athletic website, www.vucommodores.com.
