NASHVILLE — Derek Mason made the most of the Commodores’ practice opportunity on Saturday, staging a pair of split-squad morning sessions to maximize individual repetitions.
After Commodore veterans opened the day with a 75-minute workout aimed at scheme development and position drills, Vanderbilt freshmen and sophomores followed with a similar session that also stressed effort and fundamental instruction.
Afterward, Mason said his entire squad benefited from the split-squad schedule, which he initially used last February during spring drills.
“This way, everybody is getting more quality repetitions,” Mason said. “Guys are simply more focused and intentional when they’re on the field getting snaps. At the same time, our coaches get to spend more time improving individual fundamentals with their position players.”
The Commodores will stage another split-squad session in limited gear Sunday, then return to a traditional full-squad practice on Monday. The team’s first full-pad session is scheduled on Tuesday.
Mason and his squad closed the day by signing autographs and greeting fans at Dore Jam held in the team’s indoor practice facility. The event serves as an annual fan day for Vanderbilt’s football and women’s soccer programs.
Young receivers continue to impress
A bevy of young receiving targets, including freshmen C.J. Bolar, C.J. Bolar, Cam Johnson, Ben Bresnahan and Gavin Schoenwald, have shown flashes early in the camp.
Bolar, Abdur-Rahman and Johnson are first-year wide receivers will compete for playing time in a corps that includes returning starter Kalija Lipscomb, Trey Ellis, Chris Pierce, Donaven Tennyson, Alex Stump, Jackson Winrow and James Bostic.
Bresnahan and Schoenwald are newcomers looking to earn roles at tight end, where the Commodores return starter Jared Pinkney, three-year letterwinner Sam Dobbs and 2017 contributor Cody Markel among others.