July 29, 2008
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NASHVILLE – Move-in day for newcomers to the Vanderbilt football team isn’t what it used to be.
The days of long car trips with relatives just to make sure somebody else was in the back of line for registration are history. On Tuesday, every Commodore freshman on football scholarship packed into several vans to be driven two blocks into campus, before being delivered to their new home for the next three weeks.
Indeed, old traditions give way – even when it comes to preseason camp on college campuses across the nation.
All members of Bobby Johnson’s upcoming freshman class of Commodores, including Colt Nichter of Utah, Rob Lohr of Pennsylvania and Akeem Dunham of central Florida, checked in on time. They had no excuses, since they’ve been on campus for most of the summer, living in high-rise dorms two streets away.
For the last three years, Johnson has succeeded in getting virtually every Vanderbilt freshman prospect on campus during the summer. The move is designed to ease the transition of starting college life and to begin the acclimation process by developing relationships with future teammates.
“All of them have been on campus for weeks, some for the entire summer,” Johnson said. “They’re taking classes, getting acquainted with the campus, building new friendships, and working out with many of their teammates for the upcoming season.
“This is one of the best things we can do for our freshman student-athletes. There are so many positives to having them on campus, topped by helping them get off to a great start in college.”
A quick glance at the move-in process in front of Branscomb Hall revealed plenty of truth in Johnson’s remarks. Instead of arriving Tuesday full of anxiety, the future Commodores seemed to enjoy the entire ritual, joking with each other, eager to participate in their first college practice 48 hours later. Instead of questions, conversation focused on fishing poles, Guitar Hero abilities and PlayStation accessories, flat-screen TVs, and whether winter coats were really necessary in this 95-degree, high-humidity weather. Quickly, the biggest worry became the same one most college freshman face: “Do we have enough room in this room?” and “Did I really need to pack all this?”
Upperclassmen Arrive Wednesday
Move-in for more than 80 Commodore returnees is scheduled Wednesday afternoon at Branscomb. Preseason camp for the Commodores is scheduled to start Thursday afternoon on the new AstroPlay synthetic surface at John Rich Practice Facility.