Vanderbilt Football is arguably one of the most difficult jobs at the collegiate level. The changing nature of the college ranks only further compounds that issue, including for them.
Still, for Clark Lea, it’s something that he welcomes as the head coach of the Commodores. As he said during SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, the hurdles are obviously there but then added that they add some additional enjoyment to the job.
“There are challenges. But, God, is that not the fun of it?” Lea said.
Being 9-27 through three years isn’t an easy thing to deal with, especially with a pair of 2-10 finishes. Even so, even having the opportunity to be a head coach at all, especially one in the Southeastern Conference, is enough for Lea. That’s certainly so with an upcoming team at Vanderbilt that he’s glad to be coaching and leading this season.
“I’m not going to ever complain about being a head coach. This is a dream of mine,” Lea said. “To sit with the backdrop of the SEC behind me and to think about everything that I get to do? That’s where I focus my energy.”
“I’ve got a team that’s training right now back in Nashville. I’m excited to get back with them and go to work,” said Lea.
As for the shifts within college football, Lea sees them as more issues that they have to handle. However, with a sport like theirs, he wants to continue to deal with them head-on in order to keep the game as great as he sees it.
“I believe challenges in life are meant for us and, you know, it’s an exciting time to be a head coach,” Lea said.
“Keep charging forward because this game is worth it. It has given us so many great men, women, and people that have come together to solve problems. It’ll continue to do that,” said Lea. “We need to fight for the game and make sure that we’re doing everything that we can.”
There’s a lot on Lea’s plate as the coach of the Commodores, whether on the field or away from it. He’s ready to keep digging into it, though, since it all comes with the chance that he’s living of being a head football coach today.
Opposing coach on Vanderbilt: ‘They’ve never really put resources in the football program’
There’s no question that Vanderbilt is up against it in the SEC. With that, anonymous opposing coaches were pretty blunt about the state of the program.
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“I hear nothing but good things about Clark Lea,” one anonymous coach said. “But you could have Knute Rockne and The Gipper and everybody else and it would be remarkable if they won six games. It’s such a difficult job. They’ve never really put resources in the football program. They are renovating the stadium.
“But a building by itself don’t get it done in football. You’ve got to have people and resources.”
“There’s only one guy in my lifetime that’s done a great job at Vanderbilt, and that’s James Franklin,” another coach said. “The job he did at Vanderbilt is better than his body of work at Penn State – and he’s done a great job at Penn State.”
“They get good players in spots, but you’ve got to have about 18 on offense and 18 on defense to have a solid team, and they’ve got about 8-12 total,” a third coach said of the program.
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