Don’t sleep on Vanderbilt in 2023. That’s the subtle message from the Commodores at SEC Media Days. They will play the first SEC team to play this season when they host Hawaii on August 26th, and with a manageable first seven games, the Dores are confident they can build on last season’s 5-7 overall record and 2-6 mark in the SEC.
Those two league wins came in the final three weeks of the season at Kentucky and home against Florida. A blowout loss at home to Tennessee killed their bowl hopes in the second season under Clark Lea, but there’s no reason to think that can’t be accomplished this season.
Vanderbilt returns their entire starting offensive line in front of returning quarterback AJ Swann. Lea, a former defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, knows his biggest challenge remains on defense where eight starters return from a unit that yielded 36 points per game last season.
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea at SEC Media Days
2023 Vanderbilt Schedule
Aug. 26 HAWAII
Sept. 2 ALABAMA A&M
Sept. 9 at Wake Forest
Sept. 16 at UNLY
Sept. 23 KENTUCKY*
Sept. 30 MISSOURI*
Oct. 7 at Florida*
Oct. 14 GEORGIA*
Oct. 28 at Ole Miss*
Nov. 4 AUBURN*
Nov. 11 at South Carolina*
Nov. 25 at Tennessee
2022 Results
5-7 Overall • 2-6 SEC
Home: 1-6 Away: 1-4 Neutral: 0-0 vs. Top 25: 0-3
Aug. 27 at Hawaii W, 63-10 9,346
Sept. 3 ELON W, 42-31 20,120
Sept. 10 WAKE FOREST (23/21) L, 25-45 24,431
Sept. 17 at Northern Illinois W, 38-28 14,110
Sept. 24 at Alabama* (2/2) L, 3-55 96,246
Oct. 8 OLE MISS* (9/9) L, 28-52 31,567
Oct. 15 at Georgia (1/2)* L, 0-55 92,746
Oct. 22 at Missouri* L, 14-17 60,618
Nov. 5 SOUTH CAROLINA* (rv/rv) L, 27-38 28,553
Nov. 12 at Kentucky* (rv/24) W, 24-21 57,424
Nov. 19 FLORIDA (rv/rv)* W, 31-24 30,136
Nov. 26 TENNESSEE* (9/11) L, 0-56 40,350
