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Vandy Spring Football Notebook

Vanderbilt has two weeks of practice left this spring

Vandy Spring Football NotebookVandy Spring Football Notebook

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt football team surpassed the midpoint of spring practice Friday morning after completing its eighth workout.

The Commodores have two weeks remaining in preparation for the annual spring game held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 17 with coverage provided by SEC Network+. Vandy will get on the field Tuesday and Thursday this week before its second spring scrimmage held Saturday inside Vanderbilt Stadium.

SATURDAY SCRIMMAGE OPEN
Vanderbilt will allow a limited number of fans at this Saturday’s 11 a.m. scrimmage. Attendance will be on a first-come, first-serve basis and admission is free. Gates open at 10:30 a.m.

 

 

RAIH SOWING SEEDS
Offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach David Raih likes what he is seeing out of the Commodores’ offense so far this spring.

“I’m proud of the way they’re working,” he said. “The effort and the attitude – you’re seeing it. The effort, the attitude and the assignment have all been pretty good, particularly for how much we’ve installed. We want to continue to improve the operation and technique. Just looking for a crisp operation and the technique which are going to be ongoing for a long time.”

 

 

“For as short as we’ve been together, the players are into it,” Raih said. “You can tell they want to do it right and they want to be good. We’re working on our daily habits and our training big time. The belief that we can get to where we want to go will come with that.”

 

 

#VANDYUNITED, PART ONE
During the Commodores’ practice last Monday, Vanderbilt launched the Vandy United Fund, an ambitious fundraising vehicle that will invest $300 million in Vanderbilt’s student-athletes and athletics programs through major facilities and operational enhancements.

“Thanks to Chancellor Diermeier’s partnership, we are moving forward in a way that will truly transform Vanderbilt athletics,” Candice Lee, vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director, said.

 

 

#VANDYUNITED, PART TWO
The Vandy United Fund will invest in new facilities and upgrades to provide student-athletes with every ability to maximize their full potential. Specifically for football, these investments will include:

  • Football Operations Center

This facility will house team-specific needs, such as meeting rooms, offices, training room, expanded locker room and more.

  • Indoor Football Practice Facility

This will include a full-length practice field adjacent to outdoor practice fields.

  • Upgraded Stadium Fan Experience

Improvements will include premium seating options, hospitality space, upgraded food and beverage options and other fan amenities.

 

 

Design is under way, and Vanderbilt will unveil further details and renderings of the first phase of facility projects in summer 2021. Construction on the football operations center is expected to begin after the conclusion of the 2021 football season.

VANDY IN THE NFL
This offseason, professional Commodores have been on the move.

Former defensive lineman Adam Butler signed with the Miami Dolphins after four years with the New England Patriots.

 

 

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Tre Herndon who has appeared in 43 games and made 26 starts in his three-year career in Jacksonville. He was the only undrafted rookie to make the opening day roster in 2018 and played in all 16 games in both 2019 and 2020.

Last fall, Herndon played in 16 games (12 starts) and recorded a career-high 76 tackles. He started 14 of 16 games in 2019 and registered 54 tackles, 13 passes defensed and three interceptions.

 

 

Tight end Jared Pinkney returned to the Music City after signing a futures contract with the Tennessee Titans.

 

 

Former Raih pupil in Arizona, Trent Sherfield signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.

 

 

Defensive lineman Stephen Weatherly returned to the Minnesota Vikings after one year with the Carolina Panthers.

 

 

Fresh off his Super Bowl championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bruce Arians believes Ke’Shawn Vaughn can be key for the team in 2021.

“Obviously we have two really, really good ones at that position and I really like Ke’Shawn Vaughn,” Arians said. “I think that with an offseason he’s going to have a breakout year also.”

 

 

SPRING PHOTOS
Vanderbilt continues to update AnchorDown Exposure photo galleries throughout the spring.

Stay up to date and become a subscriber to be alerted when every new Commodore photo gallery is uploaded.

 

 

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets for the 2021 campaign remain on sale.

Fans who purchase season tickets now for the 2021 season are guaranteed the same price for the same seats in 2022.

Ticketing highlights for the upcoming season include:

  • Season ticket price adjustments in all areas of the stadium, with some sections seeing a 29 percent decrease, but no section seeing greater than a 10 percent increase.
  • Per-seat gift components return to season tickets. The per-seat gift is included in the price of the season ticket and is not an additional fee or expense.
  • A portion of each season ticket purchase will count towards a gift to the National Commodore Club, making every season ticket holder a Vanderbilt donor. To learn more, click here.
  • A family season ticket package, which includes two adult and two youth season tickets for $475.
  • An option for a youth season ticket for those 17 years of age or younger.
  • A choice for young alumni, available to all graduates within the last five years.

OPENING DORES
Former Commodore and current Director of Player Development Earl Bennett has been catching up with fellow Vanderbilt alumni this spring in a series called Opening Dores.

Once a week, Bennett sits down through Zoom for a conversation with former Commodores about their time on West End, how it prepared them for life after football and where their current professions have them.

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