Followed Derek Mason. Clark Lea moved Vanderbilt from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 6 seasons.
I want to see Blaze have opportunities to go out and make plays
We have to call [Blaze] into those throws
I think, in general, we need to get explosive offensively
[We are] continuing to develop both guys and give them opportunities, and [we’re] really learning from our first time doing this
I’m working towards some clarity in my own mind
[Curtis] wants to play
This is just about the Austin Peay game
I see growth in Jared [Curtis] and Blaze [Berlowitz] continues to do things that he does well
We won’t replicate Diego
Now it’s their turn
The mission’s winning, so this is about how we best position our program to win… we have to evaluate all possibilities and put the best person on the field that’s going to help us win
I am grateful the DI Cabinet approved the FBS Oversight Committee’s recommendation to impose significant penalties on head coaches and programs who circumvent transfer rules, along with immediate accountability
His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.
Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).
Where each stint’s offense sat between run-first and pass-first, and how far it moved from one season to the next. The band is that stint’s real season-to-season range, not a fixed-width box.
Season-to-season pass-rate range for all 258 FBS coaching stints with at least three covered seasons, 2014–2025.
How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.
2–8 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Kirby Smart.
A statistical estimate of this coach’s contribution to team performance, separated from that season’s roster talent, returning production, and his coordinators — pooled across his whole head-coaching career.
Model fit as of 2026-09-04.
Fan claims · every quote verified verbatim
The fanbase pretty universally was confused by/hated the decision. In Lea's first few seasons with the program he played two QBs a couple of times and it never went well. This feels like an inability to make a decision on his part.
Based on 2 comments from 2 posters across 2 threads · Sep 6, 2026–Sep 12, 2026 · via CFB
Im sorry but i cant help but doubt clark lea’s coaching ability a bit with how poorly he’s handling the qb room
Based on 2 comments from 2 posters across 2 threads · Sep 12, 2026 · via CFB
All of these points have been scored by our QB2's drives, our QB1 has been the problem. We've had a QB battle going on in the middle of a game...
QB battle is a great problem for Vanderbilt to have - The future is bright on west end ✌️ Anchor ⚓ Down 💪
Based on 3 comments from 2 posters across 3 threads · Aug 21, 2026–Sep 12, 2026 · via CFB, Locked On Vandy
7th-best Vanderbilt tenure of 20 by the numbers.
Underperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Followed Derek Mason (2014–2020).
| Season | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||
| Record | 2–10 | 5–7 | 2–10 | 7–6 | 10–3 | 0–0 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | W bowl | L bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #49 | #32 | #52 | #40 | #76 | #33 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||
| Pass rate | 49.1 | 43.7 | 52.7 | 39.4 | 49.9 | 42.4 | |
| Coordinators | |||||||
| OC | David Raih | Joey Lynch | Joey Lynch | Tim Beck | Tim Beck | Tim Beck | |
| DC | Jesse Minter | Nick Howell | Nick Howell | Steve Gregory | Steve Gregory | Steve Gregory | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||
| Offense | 5 | 21 | 13 | 42 | 98 | 38 | |
| Defense | 11 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 22 | 45 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script (2021+ only) | |||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 41.8 | 35.7 | 49.6 | 33.2 | 50.0 | 39.2 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 38.2 | 39.0 | 46.9 | 33.9 | 36.3 | 33.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 44.7 | 44.4 | 45.7 | 25.0 | 29.4 | — | |
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
3 NFL Draft picks: Dayo Odeyingbo (2021), Julian Ashby (2025), Eli Stowers (2026)
Coach of the Year: SEC Coach of the Year (2024), SEC Coach of the Year (2025)
2 player-seasons honored (All-America / national award): Eli Stowers (2025), Diego Pavia (2025)