NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After a long off season and almost two months of fall camp, Vanderbilt football’s Team 3 will open its season on Saturday at home versus Hawai’i. Last year, the Commodores beat the Rainbow Warriors, 63-10, in their season opener in Honolulu. Vanderbilt ended the 2022 season with a 5-7 record, earning conference wins at Kentucky and versus Florida along the way.
Graduate student Jaylen Mahoney, a defensive back, chose to return to Nashville to play a fifth year and was recently elected a team captain for the second year in a row.
“I think it’s a big honor [to be selected as a captain], especially when Coach Lea emphasized the part of leadership and leading on a player-led team,” Mahoney said. “I think I’m going to use my voice a lot more this season, and I’m really excited to be going into my last season with my brothers as a captain.”
In 2022, Mahoney tied for third on the team with 55 tackles highlighted by a school-record tying five for loss in a game at Missouri. Reflecting on these accomplishments from last fall, he has established three main goals for the coming season.
“I want to go to postseason play, of course,” he stated. “That’s one of the big reasons I came back, to play in a bowl game. Second, I want to continue to make plays with my brothers, as well as raise my draft slot. Lastly, my third goal is to get an MBA in the LDUS (Learning, Diversity and Urban Studies) program here at Vandy.”
These goals contributed to his decision to return for a fifth year, as well as a desire to impact the reputation of Vanderbilt football.
“I want to continue to change the narrative here at Vanderbilt, continue to do the hard things, sacrifice, and put more time into football,” Mahoney said. “I want to pass that on to my younger teammates, just instill those new norms around the building, getting extra recovery, getting extra film, staying after practice and doing extra, because we know that’s all going to help us win in the future.”
This season, the team will be playing amidst construction at FirstBank Stadium, which is part of the Vandy United campaign’s unprecedented renovations for Vanderbilt Athletics. The construction at the stadium sparks excitement for the future of Vanderbilt football and the athletic department as a whole.
“I think it means more to me than anything to be a part of the team that changes the narrative here at Vanderbilt,” Mahoney stated. “Me and all the seniors who have been here, who have seen the journey from the start, we know how far we have come as a program. We’re continuing to lay the foundation for the future teams and keeping those new norms around the building and changing the narrative around Nashville that Vanderbilt is a dominant SEC team.”
The Commodores will kick off their season in their home opener versus Hawai’i at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
