Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Team Report

Updated: April 22, 2012 04:27 EST

It took just one day for Commodores coach James Franklin to notice a difference between the opening day of spring practice last year and this year.

"I thought our energy was much better. I think we're obviously in much better shape," he said. "We had a hard time practicing like that last year. We've come a long way. I still have much higher expectations and I think our guys do too. For the first day, I thought it was pretty good."

Vanderbilt's clearly feeling its oats after just its fifth bowl appearance on New Year's Eve. Although it lost 24-17 to Cincinnati to finish a 6-7 season, it certainly has rode the momentum of a rare bowl trip through the first three months of its offseason.

Franklin and the coaching staff finished off the team's best recruiting class ever, beating out big names for players which two or three years ago would have laughed at the thought of being recruited by the Commodores.

While the successful player haul added much-needed depth, questions remain for Vandy to take the next step. Can QB Jordan Rodgers become more accurate? Will the offensive line cohere as well this year as it did over the second half of 2011?

Can the defense stay as strong against the run as it did last year while producing more big plays? And will the Commodores be able to live up to suddenly growing expectations from a fan base starving for wins?

But for now, those questions can be pushed aside in the name of pride. Pride in how far this program has come in such a short time and pride in the foundation being built under the intense Franklin.

"I think we've grown dramatically on offense, defense and special teams," he said. "We're light years ahead of where we were last year, just because we're so much more confident with what we're doing from an installation standpoint."

--Former New Mexico defensive coordinator George Barlow joined the Vanderbilt coaching staff in January. Barlow, who served as the interim coach after Mike Locksley was canned in late September, will coach defensive backs and serve as the defensive recruiting coordinator. Barlow's aggressive philosophy fits right in with defensive coordinator Bob Shoop's theories. He inherits decent talent but must replace Hayward and Richardson.

--Josh Gattis has also joined the Commodores' staff after working as Western Michigan's receivers' coach last year. He mentored Jordan White, who led all FBS receivers with 140 catches for 1,911 yards. Gattis, who will also serve as the offensive recruiting coordinator, gets to work with two good receivers here in Jordan Matthews and Chris Boyd, as well as a solid third receiver in junior Jonathan Krause.

KEY QUESTIONS: Most of the holes which need filled on this team are on defense, where the Commodores must replace All-SEC CB Casey Hayward, as well as four-year starting MLB Chris Marve and hard-hitting SS Sean Richardson. They will also miss DE Tim Fugger, who more than any other lineman embraced the coaches' get-up-the-field philosophy and became a good playmaker. Offensively, all but two starters are back, although right tackle Kyle Fischer will be missed. And the coaching staff has to find a reliable placekicker from somewhere.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

LB Chase Garnham -- After earning eight starts at outside linebacker, Garnham is moving to the middle linebacker spot that Chris Marve filled with distinction the last four years. While Garnham was able to play physically on the outside, it's not known if he'll be able to hold up for a full year in the middle against SEC offenses. And will one of his strengths -- sideline-to-sideline pursuit -- be lost with the switch?

TE Kris Kentera -- A former high school quarterback, Kentera was switched to the team's hybrid TE/H-back position and has made a nice impression. He caught 24 and 48-yard passes in the team's first scrimmage March 24, showing that he could be a big-play threat in his new spot. At 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, Kentera can easily add weight while maintaining speed and quickness.

RB Wesley Tate -- The brother of former Notre Dame standout WR Golden Tate has changed positions again after catching 22 passes last year, good for fourth on the team. Tate, a running back as a freshman, will stay there through the spring due to injuries which will keep Warren Norman and Jerron Seymour out of practice. If Tate makes more plays like the 34-yard run on a draw during a March 24 scrimmage, his move back to running back might be permanent.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's more of me pushing him right now. (Rodgers) is top dog." -- QB Austyn Carta-Samuels, a Wyoming transfer, asked about being pushed by incumbent starter Jordan Rodgers early in spring practice.

2012 OUTLOOK: After surprising almost everyone and making a bowl game last year, the Commodores are looking for another bowl trip as they return 16 starters for second-year coach James Franklin. Expectations are tougher, but so is the schedule as they open the year with South Carolina, then sandwich a non-conference walkover with Presbyterian around road trips to Northwestern and Georgia. The element of surprise won't be on their side, either, as opponents will expect a good game from this program. As is traditionally the case here, the biggest question is depth. Can this team avoid injuries in their starting 22 that would cripple its hopes of success? If it does and QB Jordan Rodgers can become a more complete player, a winning record is possible.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: When he took over the offense at halftime of an Oct. 15 loss to Georgia, Rodgers breathed much-needed life into it. He gave it a passing threat down the field and also made plays with his legs, giving the offensive line a hit of confidence they badly needed. Suddenly, this group became explosive, even feared at times over the season's second half.

Nine of them are back, including school single-season rushing leader Zac Stacy and the top two receivers -- Jordan Matthews and Chris Boyd. For good measure, four linemen also return. It wouldn't be a stretch to put this offense in the top half of the SEC at this point.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Perhaps the biggest improvement on this team last year was its ability to make big plays up front. A group of linemen who were easily pushed around in the previous three years started shoving back. While three linemen are back, the stop unit has to adjust to life without four-year MLB Chris Marve, All-SEC CB Casey Hayward and reliable SS Sean Richardson. DT Rob Lohr, LB Archibald Barnes and CB Trey Wilson are the new leaders of this group, while Chase Garnham is essaying a move from OLB to Marve's old MLB spot.

SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: In his first year as coach, James Franklin demonstrated that there was no fake punt on onside kick he wouldn't try. But Vandy was equally able to blunt any momentum of a trick play by botching a short field goal, losing two games in part because of missed chip shots. Either Carey Spear or Ryan Fowler has to get better or else, a claim P Richard Kent doesn't have to worry about after a second straight great season (42.5 gross, 39.2 net average).

TOP NEWCOMERS:

DE Caleb Azubike (McGavock High, Nashville, Tenn.) -- The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Azubike never seriously thought he would attend Vanderbilt, but after taking his visit and getting a dose of coach James Franklin's charm, he took the plunge. Azubike has 4.65 speed in the 40-yard dash and a frame which can easily accommodate another 20-to-25 pounds.

OT Andrew Jelks (Henry County High, Paris, Tenn.) -- Jelks has the perfect frame for a left tackle and can easily gain another 40 pounds to make it happen. Rated as the No. 10 prospect in Tennessee, Jelks led his team to a Class 5A championship and is one of three four-star guys in this class.

RB Brian Kimbrow (East High, Memphis, Tenn.) -- At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, Kimbrow has drawn comparisons to Jahvid Best, the former California great who's now with the Detroit Lions. Don't be surprised if he sees time next year as a backup to Zac Stacy or gets an opportunity to return kickoffs in order to take advantage of his game-breaking skills.

ROSTER REPORT:

--RB Warren Norman (knee) is sitting out contact drills in the spring with the hope of being able to go full strength in August. Norman, who was the team's leading rusher in 2009-10, was injured last August and never saw the field, taking a redshirt year.

--OG Ryan Seymour is also sitting out all contact drills this spring and should be ready to go in August. Seymour became one of the league's better linemen last year and has started 22 games in his career.

--FS Javon Marshall is taking the spring off from contact drills and should be 100 percent in August. Marshall had a good first season as a starter, finishing with 32 tackles and notching two interceptions.

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