NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt will leadoff Week 1 of the college football season on ESPN. The Commodores open the year on Aug. 31, hosting Virginia Tech at FirstBank Stadium at 11 a.m. CT.
Vandy will then welcome Alcorn State to Music City on Sept. 7 at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU and visit Georgia State on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
The times for the season’s first three weeks were announced Thursday by ESPN and the Southeastern Conference. This fall, ESPN and the SEC begin a 10-year agreement that makes ABC and the ESPN family of networks the exclusive home of SEC football.
The agreement facilitates a new process for SEC football kickoff times. Following this announcement of the first three weeks and other selected games, ESPN will announce kickoff windows for each remaining game of the season in mid-June. This will allow fans to have a better idea of when each game will be played well in advance. More information on that process can be found at secsports.com.
Season tickets for the 2024 season remain available. Information on mini-plans and group sales will be available soon.
In addition, 2024 and 2025 will each see the opening of new premium seating spaces at FirstBank Stadium. The north end zone premium seating available in 2024 is sold out, but deposits are being accepted for south end zone premium seating which debuts in 2025.
Head coach Clark Lea will be in his fourth season at the helm of his alma mater in 2024. The Commodores will welcome over 50 new student-athletes to the roster this fall, including four four-star recruits. Lea, a Broyles Award semifinalist as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, has taken over as defensive coordinator for the Commodores while hiring Tim Beck as offensive coordinator.
Beck was a national champion as an NCAA Division II head coach and helped New Mexico State rank among the top 15 nationally in rushing offense and yards per play last season en route to 10 wins. Jerry Kill, a former coach of the year in the Big Ten and Conference USA, has also joined the staff, bringing 175 wins as a head coach.
