August 26, 2016

Vanderbilt Q&A: SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers

Aug. 26, 2016

By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com

The life of Jordan Rodgers changed considerably during the summer of 2016. Rodgers, a former starting quarterback at Vanderbilt who helped the Commodores to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2011-12, won Season 12 of ABC’s The Bachelorette by proposing to this season’s star, Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher. Then earlier this month, Rodgers signed on as a college football analyst for the SEC Network.

VUCommodores.com caught up with the former Commodore signal-caller to discuss his new role at the SEC Network and his thoughts on Vanderbilt and the SEC in 2016. Plus, how is he teaching his new fiancÃƒÂ© to be an SEC fan?

VUCOMMODORES.COM: You’ve spent the last couple of weeks prepping for your new role at the SEC Network. What’s that been like?

Jordan Rodgers: In a way, it’s a tough time to get thrown into it. You’re in camp with position battles going on, guys are unproven, you’re looking back at 2015 to remember how teams finished. You’re taking a lot into account from the last eight months. But it’s been fun diving back into this conference that I was a part of. I’ve loved talking football, especially when it comes to the SEC. It’s a lot of prep, though. You don’t realize how much you’ve got to study and how the little details and stats go a long way.

But it’s been fun. I’ve taken a few digs from colleagues because during the last couple of shows, I’ve made it a point to squeeze in the Commodores when I can.

VU: Speaking of, you’re the first former Commodore football player to serve as an analyst on the SEC Network. What does that mean to you?

JR: It’s great to represent a program and a school that meant so much to me, my career and my development as a man. I think it’s great to diversify the SEC Network and everybody’s perspective a little more. Vanderbilt is one of those teams that brings a unique perspective of the SEC. You kind of look at things differently than the way a lot of programs do. As a former Vandy quarterback, I think that’s valuable insight, being one of the non-traditional, non-powerhouse teams. That’s what the SEC Network talked about when we initially discussed this role. They wanted that kind of perspective.

VU: You enjoyed a successful career in Nashville, becoming the first Vanderbilt quarterback to lead the ‘Dores to consecutive bowl appearances. Plus, VU went 9-4 during your senior season in 2012. Do you have favorite memories of your Vanderbilt career?

JR: My senior year, we beat Ole Miss in Oxford at the last minute, 27-26. We needed that game to be bowl eligible. Winning in that fashion on the road, that was a defining moment for my career. Beating Tennessee at home in the manner we did, 41-18, I remember running up into the stands to see my family, when everybody was staying in the stadium. We won the Music City Bowl, capping a nine-win season for the first time since 1915. There was just a lot of history made that year. Not many people get the opportunity to do something as a team that hasn’t been done before. I get chills thinking about it.

I think people view Vanderbilt differently after the 2011 and 2012 seasons. We went through an interesting and pivotal point in the program’s trajectory in this conference. It put us on a track that I think we’re still on. Now I think people notice Vanderbilt a little more, and it was fun to be a part of that, especially for the fans.

VU: Most SEC fans probably don’t know how you ended up at Vanderbilt. What was that journey like?

JR: That’s a crazy story in and of itself. In high school I was underdeveloped, undersized and I didn’t get a single Division-I offer. But I wanted to play for a D-I school. I didn’t want to walk on. So I went to junior college at Butte College in California for a couple of years, won a national title during my freshman year. I then had a few small-school offers. But I knew I wanted to play against the best, and if there was chance, I was going to go for it.

After my sophomore year in JUCO, I actually committed to Kansas. They’d won the Orange Bowl under Mark Mangino. But when he resigned, my scholarship kind of went to the wayside. Soon Western Kentucky called, so I went on a visit to WKU. But Vanderbilt had come out to watch me, so I was interested in Vandy. After my visit the WKU coaches drove me halfway between Bowling Green and Nashville. The coaches from Vanderbilt parked right next to our van. I got out, shook their hands, climbed into the Vandy van and drove for a visit to Nashville.

I had dinner with then-Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson. I knew I wanted to play against the best. I wanted to be somewhere that I could do something special. I believed in that Vanderbilt coaching staff and the guys that were there. Looking back, to see it play out how it did was pretty special.

VU: Vanderbilt is about to enter its third season under head coach Derek Mason. What do you see from the Commodores in 2016?

JR: Looking back to last season, their improvement on defense was night and day. Scheme-wise, they were re-energized under Coach Mason. They just played good, solid defense, and I loved watching them. You started to see guys develop like Zach Cunningham and Oren Burks.

But the development on offense is catching up. I’m looking forward to the offense under coordinator Andy Ludwig in his second year, especially the development of quarterback Kyle Shurmur. For me, I took huge leaps from a mental aspect between my junior and senior seasons. I’m looking forward to seeing Shurmur more comfortable. I think he’ll excel having a longer leash, since he won’t be looking over his shoulder. As a quarterback, you can never excel if you’re trying to be careful. Now Kyle knows he’s the guy.

If Vandy starts with a win against South Carolina on Sept. 1, they’ll start the season leading the SEC East. That’d be pretty special. And I think they have a good shot at a bowl game. This defense is really good and the offense improves every week. Vandy is at a place now where they should win some SEC games, and somewhere they can compete and be good enough on defense to take it into the fourth quarter with a chance to win.

VU: What else sticks out to you about the SEC this season?

JR: The SEC West is strong almost top to bottom. You’ve got two of the most talented teams in the country in Alabama and LSU. Personally, I think Arkansas has got a chance to make some waves in the West. I say that because even though they have a tough stretch late in the season, they get Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Florida at home. I don’t see them losing three out of four there. I think they’re going to beat a few teams in the West.

But I see Alabama as the standard in the West again. Nick Saban is a testament to knowing how to reload. As for the East, I think it will be a disappointment to Tennessee if it doesn’t win at least 10 games. I think they’re primed to win 10 or 11. But Florida’s going to be tough. The Gators lost three All-Americans on defense, and they might be better on defense this year. Florida and Tennessee in the East will be tough to beat.

JR: I’m trying to teach her the ways. Being from Dallas, she’s much more of an NBA fan, and her family is a bunch of Dallas Cowboys fans. Funnily enough, she actually went to Tennessee for a semester. So I always kid her about that. I’m like, “Really, Tennessee?” But her dad went there, too, so there’s definitely a little in-family rivalry. Her mom went to Vanderbilt as a grad student, so I’ve got one ‘Dore on my side but she has two Vols on her side. But I’m trying to catch Jojo up as the SEC as much as I can.

VU: What’s more difficult, winning an SEC football game or winning The Bachelorette?

JR: Oh boy, I feel like I can’t have a right answer for that one. I will say the competition was much bigger on the football field. [laughs] Man, I don’t know. It’s competitive in both for different reasons. I’ll say this: I was about as nervous going in to talk to Jojo as I was going against Alabama’s defense. It felt pretty equal.

VU: How different is your life right now, versus a year ago?

JR: Completely different. One year ago I was training quarterbacks in Nashville and Memphis, working for a D-I training facility out there, doing radio in Nashville. Now I’ve got a fiancÃƒÂ©, I’m working for the SEC Network. It’s been an unbelievable year. Life works in mysterious ways, and I’ve been blessed. I’m excited for this next chapter.