July 31, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As temperature cool slightly in Nashville, Vanderbilt football is heating up.
The Dores kick off fall camp on Monday ahead of the 2017 SEC football season. Head coach Derek Mason, offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig and several student-athletes previewed Vanderbilt’s start to preseason practice in a meeting with the media on Monday.
Here is what the Commodores had to say:
– Mason raved about the upperclassmen leadership on his roster, which features 38 junior and seniors. For the first time, every Vanderbilt player in the locker room has playing experience under only Mason. “This group is reflective because we’ve been together,” Mason said. “This group now, our seniors are fourth-years and fifth-years, these guys have only played under me. We just have a bond.”
– Ludwig praised quarterback Kyle Shurmur’s maturation during the summer. Shurmur attended the Manning Passing Academy, worked with private coaches on the West Coast and represented Vanderbilt at SEC Media Days. That recipe has paid off for the junior. “He has had an awesome summer, an unbelievable summer,” Ludwig said.
Now Shurmur, with 18 career starts under his belt, is poised to assume control of the Commodores’ locker room. “The thing that Kyle knows is, this is his team,” Ludwig said. “He needs to carry himself like that from the first snap this afternoon to the final snap of the bowl game.
– Mason said one of his top priorities is improving his pass rush. The Commodores managed just 15 sacks in 2016, fewest in the SEC. “We left a lot of production out there last year,” Mason said. “We only had 15 sacks defensively. That’s not what you want. I’m used to 33, 35, 40 [sacks]. We need to produce there.”
– Asked to assess the speed of his defense, Mason cracked a smile. “I’m chomping at the bit. I like where this group is,” he said.
– Vanderbilt enters camp with an embarrassment of riches in its backfield. The group is comprised of Ralph Webb, Khari Blasingame, Dallas Rivers, Josh Crawford and Jamauri Wakefield. Ralph Webb is among the best backs in the SEC and riding a streak of 37 consecutive starts. “The running back position is loaded,” Mason said. “I feel like we are as good a backfield as you’re going to find in this conference, in terms of depth. And all those guys you named, they’ve all played.”
– Senior Nifae Lealao has garnered preseason love as one of the top defensive tackles in the SEC, but the veteran brushed off the personal spotlight on Monday. “It’s not a one-man’s job. It’s not a one-man’s game. I can’t do anything I can do without my team,” Lealao said.
PODCAST: Mason previews Vanderbilt’s fall camp
– Ludwig enters his third season at Vanderbilt, a streak of relative longevity when compared to the bulk of his two-decade coaching career. “When I walked in the building in January, it was the first time in 10 years I’ve walked in the same building for Season Three,” Ludwig said. “The best thing about it is watching those players who — when you came in, they were freshmen and raw — now they know it as well as the coaches.”
– Vanderbilt enters camp looking to replace two starters along the offensive line, center Barrett Gouger and left tackle Will Holden. Ludwig said redshirt junior Bailey Granier will take first-team reps at right tackle as camp begins. But the center position is less certain, with the likes of redshirt freshman Sean Auwae-McMoore, redshirt junior Bruno Reagan and redshirt sophomore Ean Pfeifer splitting snaps in camp.
“Center is the big question mark going in,” Ludwig said. “How that position develops could create some position changes up front.”
– With Shurmur cemented as the starting quarterback, Ludwig said no plans are in place to develop packages for Vanderbilt’s backup signal-callers. “That has not come to light just yet,” Ludwig said. “I’m anxious to see them up close and personal in camp.” Redshirt junior Shawn Stankavage and redshirt freshman Deuce Wallace serve as Shurmur’s primary backups, with true freshman Jacob Free having joined the roster this summer.
– Ralph Webb has already set freshman, sophomore and rushing records at Vanderbilt. He is also already the Commodores’ all-time leading rusher with 3,342 career yards. Now is the fifth-year senior eyeing the senior record, as well? “As long as it comes with winning, I’ll take it,” Webb said.
– Shurmur said Vanderbilt’s returning experience is important, but not just among players. The Commodores’ coaching staff has returned fully intact from 2016, as well. That continuity has paid dividends. “Our first day of camp, the installs, we’re really hitting the ground running,” Shurmur said.
– Has Vanderbilt forgotten its 41-17 loss to NC State in the Camping World Independence Bowl? Not exactly. “We’re definitely motivated,” senior cornerback Tre Herdon said. “We put stuff behind us, but that definitely motivates us for the upcoming year.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics. Check out his story archive and follow him on Twitter here.