NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Under the direction of head coach Clark Lea, the Vanderbilt football team will open spring practice March 17. The Commodores will have 15 practice sessions, including the program’s spring game, which is scheduled for April 17.
Another key spring date for Vanderbilt is March 15, when the program will hold its annual NFL Pro Day.
Vanderbilt returns 17 starters and welcomes Lea and his staff for their inaugural spring campaign.
For the 2021 team on offense, the quarterback duo of rising sophomores Ken Seals, who started all nine games last fall, and Mike Wright, both return, as do all three starting wideouts plus a tight end and two offensive linemen.
In 2020, Seals completed 186 of 288 passes (64.6%) for a Vanderbilt freshman-record 1,928 yards to go along with 12 touchdowns. Among freshmen passers nationally, Seals finished the fall ranked second in passing yards, completions, attempts and completion percentage while standing third in touchdowns and efficiency (127.6).
Among SEC players, Seals finished tied for sixth in passing touchdowns, eighth in completions, pass attempts and yards of total offense (1,876), ninth in passing yards, passing yards/game (214.2), completion percentage, yards of total offense/game (208.4) and total offensive plays (329) and tied for 10th in total offensive touchdowns (12).
Wright played in six games and completed 6 of 10 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown while adding another rushing score.
Up front, sixth-year offensive lineman Drew Birchmeier pairs with rising senior Dan Dawkins, who played in seven games and started four a year ago, as returning starters. On the outside, Vanderbilt returns its top three leading wideouts from last fall in rising senior Amir Abdur-Rahman, rising senior Cam Johnson and rising fifth-year senior Chris Pierce Jr. Those three combined for 108 receptions, nine touchdowns and 1,322 yards during the 2020 season.
Rising senior tight end Ben Bresnahan also returns for the 2020 season after starting all nine games last fall. He finished with 28 receptions for 300 yards (10.7 yards/catch) and four touchdowns. Among SEC tight ends, Bresnahan ranked fourth in scoring grabs, fifth in catches and sixth in receiving yards.
At running back, Vanderbilt must replace Keyon Henry-Brooks, but returns rising senior Ja’Veon Marlow, who started two games last fall. In all, the Commodores return three of the team’s top five rushing yardage leaders from 2020. Vanderbilt returns 419 of the 991 net rushing yards (42.3 percent) and two ground scores from last season.
Defensively, seven starters return including four members of the secondary. Along the defensive line, Vandy must replace three-year starting end Dayo Odeyingbo, who departed for the NFL Draft. Odeyingbo, who finished his career ranked fifth in Vanderbilt history in tackles for loss, paced the Commodores in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (8) during the 2020 season.
Rising senior Raashaan Wilkins Jr. is the lone starter along the line after totaling eight tackles and two for a loss last fall.
The linebacker group is deep and experienced with five lettermen back and starters Ethan Barr and Anfernee Orji returning to West End. Orji, a rising sophomore, led the team in tackles and booked nine or more stops three times last fall. Rising sophomore Barr started three games, including the final two of the 2020 campaign, and ranked third among SEC freshmen in tackles/game (4.1).
In the secondary, a seasoned group returns for Vanderbilt with 11 lettermen and four starters back for 2021. The Commodores must replace cornerback Elijah Hamilton, but return Allan George, Dashaun Jerkins, Jaylen Mahoney and Maxwell Worship who combined to start 28 games in 2020.
George started eight games and finished third on the team in tackles with 45. Jerkins was rarely off the field and booked 45 tackles and tied for the team with two caused fumbles. Mahoney started all eight games played and booked 57 tackles, the second-highest total on the team. Worship made six starts, booking 31 tackles and two pass breakups.
Rising senior Harrison Smith is back after serving as the primary punter the last two years. Kickoff specialist and last year’s primary kicker Pierson Cooke, a rising senior, is also returning.
The Commodores begin the 2021 season Sept. 4 against East Tennessee State.
