2025 Vanderbilt Football Mailbag #2: Answers to Your Questions

Letters...

we get letters...

we get stacks and stacks of letters...Question(s) from ask_thedoctor & jeturn:The Gridiron Dores start 1-0 (something not everyone in the conference can say, heh).

Of course, that was also our easiest game of the yearproviding an excellent opportunity to work out the kinks.

Both VT and SC looked like they struggled on offense in their matchup based on the stat sheet, which bodes well for us.

On the other hand, we wiped two of our own touchdowns off of the board and got ourselves into a ridiculous 1st and 30 going into halftime due to an excessive amount of boneheaded penalties.

How do we compare to VT and SC in the most likely to shoot themselves in the foot metric?&Who does Vandy stack up better against: Va Tech or S.

Carolina (ignoring the curse)?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: Yeah, its Virginia Tech.

I was only halfway paying attention to the game they played against each other on Sunday, because why are we playing college football on Sunday, but in general I will go with team that only managed 9 offensive points as the team we are more likely to beat.Cole Sullivan: Virginia Tech is much more likely to shoot themselves in the foot than we are.

Drones threw two picks in the game last weekend and went 15-for-35 (which is around 43% a.k.a.

BAD).

South Carolina still has a strong defense, and Sellers is not going to open himself up to the sorts of mistakes Drones is.

The Game Penises, as always, remain a hard challenge.PatrickSawyer: bLaNoris Sellers is who Kyron Drones wants to be when he grows up.

Drones and VT are by far more likely to make game-deciding mistakes.

Vanderbilt may kill a few of their own drives, but the ability to keep ball security has been impressive in this scheme.

Sellers is elite, and he has some highly talented but inconsistent WRs.

They may drop a pass or three, but Sellers can make up for it.South Carolina is even further ahead of Virginia Tech than the score showed.

By week 3, they will have worked more bugs out.

VT on a short week for them is a good opportunity.Andrew VU 04: Im honestly not sure about the shoot yourself in the foot metric, but of those three teams, Va Tech is absolutely the one with missing and/or mangled toes of late.

See our game last year (and, on the flip side, see our games vs.

The Game Penises over the last 16 years).As for the second question, its Va Tech, and its not particularly close.

The South Cackalacky Game Penises clearly dont have the dominant defensive line they had last year, but their offense is betterlargely because LaNoris Sellers has one more year of experience under his belt.

Hes legitimately in the run for the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Va Tech will be, by no means, an easy matchup, but I saw very little explosiveness from that team in their loss to South Cackalacky last week.

Va Tech, like last year, sits in the Solid, but not Spectacular range of teams with high floors, but low ceilings.

The Game Penises, however, have a ceiling as high as LaNorris Sellers can take them.

Lets just say Im LaBuying what hes LaSelling this year._____________________________________________________________________________Question from VU1970:Based on what we saw this weekend, which team (VT/VU) has improved the most since last season?Actually, Id rather see us go to Tuscaloosa than Blacksburg this week, because I cant wait for Turnt VS Ruirnt.

Im thinking we could use a backup mascot for that trip, maybe a big ant with sledgehammers for antennae.

Seriously, if you were a Tide season ticket holder, wouldnt you dread seeing Vanderbilt coming?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: The thing is that I do not think Virginia Tech has improved since last season.As far as going to Tuscaloosa goes, Ive been reading a lot about Alabama this offseason that seems to be operating under the rather unfounded presumption that Nick Saban is still coaching the team, but as we saw over the weekend, Nick Saban is decidedly not coaching that team.

Or, as a Georgia fan friend of mine put it:Couple things...

Im not sure there are any programs spending $40-50 million/yr in NIL2) If you gave recruiting people truth serum theyd tell you that since DeBoer arrived Bama has been landing a lot of guys who made it known NIL would be the biggest factor in their decision https://t.co/GNJ4cxWrVT Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) September 3, 2025By all appearances, the culture of the current Alabama program is comparable to Tennessee a few years ago: theyre landing five-stars, but theyre specifically landing the sort of five-stars who are more interested in how much cash is in the McDonalds bag than anything else.Cole Sullivan: Vanderbilt has improved more than Tech for certainly.

As for the second part, I am actually fine waiting to play Bama.

If this team loses another game or two like that one, they will be completely despondent by the time we get around to em.

Will make it even easier to follow up on the win, if Bama thinks there isnt anything to be playing for.PatrickSawyer: Tech did not look improved at all, so Id say Vanderbilt improved more, even if just in depth.The loss to Vanderbilt and Pavias trash talk may be the one thing that could motivate Alabama out of their slump.

Let them wallow in misery for a few more weeks until they are hopefully too off course to correct.

Im not sure their season ticket holders care about opponents as much as firing their HC.

Vanderbilt may be welcomed as liberators since a second loss to Vanderbilt might be such an affront that DeBoer gets fired immediately.Andrew VU 04: Va Tech looked slightly worse than last year, honestly, which is not that surprising, as their best player on each side of the ball is gone (Darn Tuten and APR).

On the flip side, the Gridiron Dores looked crisp.

Last year, they teased you with potential.

This year, Diego and the Boys (Dirty Mike cant come) are polished._____________________________________________________________________________Question from Nova Dore:With the revitalized stadium, the positive vibes from any Givern Saturday, and frankly HCCL, we are seeing more 4-stars putting Vandy in their final four/five.

Has Vandy reached the point as a place to go for Football (and other sports)? Will Vandy get the 5-star who will be the David Price of Football?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: Difference still is that in football, even the five-stars who care about academics will manage to talk themselves into the idea that, really, the University of Georgia is just as good academically as Vanderbilt.

(This is somewhat less true in basketball only because of the existence of Duke.)That said, yes, I have noticed that theyre players in recruiting for the kind of guys they used to not be players for.Cole Sullivan: The Leanaissance continues on.

I think we will see it soon, but it still comes down to NIL money.

While I think we are probably better off than some schools (Alabamas struggles probably have more to do with a lack of truly wealthy alumni than a coach who wont wear collared shirts [I love Coach Leas polos, so classy]) we still have schools like Texas to worry about.

I think we are a destination for every sport except football, and that could change as soon as next year, but it will require more than a Birmingham Bowl win this year for it to happen.PatrickSawyer: Vanderbilt is still in the 2nd or 3rd tier of destinations behind the powerhouse programs of Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, etc.

One 6-6 season with a bowl season does not change that.

An 8-4 or better season in 2025 could do a lot to shift them into a spot just behind those programs.

That is why this season is critical.

Also, I think NIL is helping.

The 5-star is probably not until the 2027 cycle even if everything goes to plan.Andrew VU 04: Givern? Anyway, I wouldnt use David Price as the analogue, as though by his sophomore year, it was clear he was the best player in college baseball, he was by no means a cant miss recruit.

The analogue is Kumar Rocker or Jack Leiter, and until we get an Arch Manning (though hopefully one who can actually play football) or Travis Hunter (a hyped up guy who could play all the football), it wont be as shocking as pulling clear consensus first rounders from MLB multi-million dollar bonuses.

_____________________________________________________________________________Question from tinioril:Which SEC coaches could lose their jobs this season? How many would be because of us?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: Honestly, the list of SEC coaches who I cant plausibly see losing their jobs might be shorter? That list consists of Kirby Smart, Eli Drinkwitz, Lane Kiffin, Shane Beamer, Fat Bobby Hill in Knoxville, Steve Sarkisian, Mike Elko, and Lea.

(And I wouldnt be that shocked if Kiffin or Beamer leave anyway, particularly if Virginia Tech opens up in the latter case.)Okay, so its exactly as long.

And some of the coaches are a longshot: LSU is probably going to be good enough to keep Brian Kelly employed (but whew buddy if they manage to go 8-4) and Im sort of doubtful that Kentucky actually wants to pony up the cash to get rid of Mark Stoops, and I guess early returns on Hugh Freezes third season at Auburn suggest that he might actually have it figured out.

That said, all three of those coaches play Vanderbilt this season, and two of them coach schools that absolutely believe they should never lose to Vanderbilt in football, and Kentucky plays us in the second to last game of the season so the timing might suggest it if it happens.

Oh yeah, and theres Kalen DeBoer at Alabama.

So thats literally half the SEC schedule, and the other four are in the I cant see them firing this guy bucket.Cole Sullivan: I think most people will stick to the same candidates, so I am going to try and mix it up: There was a moment last year where it sort of felt like to me that Billy Napier was one game away from being asked to pack his bags.

Maybe I dont know what Im talking about, but my understanding is that the administration and the players like him and want to trust his process on sort of rebuilding what Florida is as a program, but I think the fan outcry after a few bum seasons and a rough start last year nearly did him in.

He finished out the year really strong, but if he took a step back this year I think we could easily see him get sent packing.PatrickSawyer: There are probably doomsday scenarios for more than half of the SEC head coaches.

The most likely to get run out of town are DebBoer, Lebby, Freeze, and probably Venables.

Stoops has a ridiculous buyout that has to be paid in full within 60 days of termination, but Kentucky might be bad enough to force that hand.

The good news for each of them is that only Alabama and Kentucky looked bad in Week 1, so the other 3 may be able to keep their jobs.

If things turn sour for any of them, they may be counting out the Benjamins in the unemployment line.Andrew VU 04: Lets start with the obvious: Kalen DeBoer of Ramajama, who will start an internecine DeBoer War among the Gump faithful and those who hold the purse strings when he loses to us again.

Beyond him, Mister Freeze of Auburn and maybe Mark Stoops of Kentucky would be on the hot seat if we kicked their respective War Tiger and Wedding Jersey teeth in...

but honestly, at least one of them would be a mistake.

Yeah, this may well be a clear down year in Lexington, but Stoops has been their best feetball coach...

ever? Thats pretty much it, as even though beating Coach Grown Up Bobby Hill of The Knoxville Buttchuggers would piss off the various Bacons and Donuts drinking shit beer off a fellow fans mullet to no end, firing him would be even more ill-advised and funny than what they did to Greg Schiano._____________________________________________________________________________Question from Blackespn:Pavia will be tested the next 2 weeks.....Does Vandy have a good back up QB ready......Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: We have, uh, a backup QB ready.

Good? Have we ever had a good backup QB? Weve had some passable ones (looking at you, Mackenzi Adams) but if weve ever had a backup QB who I would consider good, well...

actually Ive seen a lot of Vanderbilt football teams that couldnt even find a good starting QB.

Have we all forgotten the 2014 Vanderbilt football team?Cole Sullivan: We lose every single game the rest of the season if Pavia gets hurt.PatrickSawyer: Blaze did not inspire much confidence in his relief appearance.

I did notice everything was over the middle in the passing game, which is dangerous for a QB who has a reputation of trusting his arm too much.

I think hes probably good enough to beat Georgia State and Utah State.

Maybe Kentucky.

Other than that, it could be a rough time.

I would be curious to see if they turned to Blaze or Drew Dickey if it was going to be a long-term issue.

It is a trade off of high floor, low ceiling vs low ceiling, high(er) floor.Andrew VU 04: I mean...

Pavia did say Blaze Berlowitz has been much better this year since he stopped all the womanizing (I cant remember the exact quote, but that was the gist of it).

Maybe Ol Blaze has his Purity of Essence in tact and can fill in in a pinch...

but...

no, weve got to keep Pavia healthy._____________________________________________________________________________Question from WestEndMayhem:Besides the offense needing Pavia, what are you biggest concerns looking forward based on the on-the-field product from week 1?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: I am concerned that we let Charleston Southern get a late field goal to avoid getting shut out? I dont know what anyone could have seen that would cause concern in that game.Cole Sullivan: Just the penalties.

I am guessing dont hold will be a major point that Lea hammers home this week, and hopefully that point lands.

I think (read: hope) some of it can be chalked up to it being the first game back and also to it being against an FCS school, BUT we learned last year (read: Georgia State) what can happen when we are less than 100% locked in.PatrickSawyer: The holding penalties.

I am pretty sure Isaia Glass committed 3 of them.

Thats about it.

Oh, and Blaze not looking very good because Pavia getting hurt is our worst nightmare.Andrew VU 04: You had concerns? Again, we looked criiiiiiiisp against the Charleston Southern Southern Charlestons._____________________________________________________________________________Question from jessecuster44:Pass Rush? Va Tech looks stout on the DL.

Can we protect Pavia, and can we get after who is under center for Va Tech?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: I dont know? Its concerning that I dont know.Cole Sullivan: PatrickSawyer: I think the OL will play better this week after a real game together.

VTs DL will obviously be leaps and bounds better than Charleston Southerns was.

Hopefully it comes out as a wash.Andrew VU 04: Id say our O-Line measures up favorably to The Hokey Pokes D-Line.

Beyond that, I honestly dont see much improvement from them versus their last years team (actually, I think theyre visibly worse).

We can and should protect our golden calf._____________________________________________________________________________Question from Vandyfled:Will we have a real home field advantage this season?!Will it only last if we are winning? Is the fan base newly committed to the vision and trajectory in sickness and health til death do us part? Is it more individual decisions or admin not caring enough to stop other SEC teams from taking over the stadium? Is there any single image more disgusting than that orange infecting our stands?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: I will withhold judgment until I see what the crowd looks like against an SEC team.I do think there are a couple of important factors in the crowd against Charleston Southern: aside from the team being improved last year, Pavia being back, and legitimate excitement around the program, everybody wanted to see the stadium.

Which is cool? But also, that kind of bump tends to be fleeting.

Check out the nice renovated stadium works to get people out out of curiosity for a Week 1 beatdown of Charleston Southern.

LSU coming to town after a 3-3 start (which is very plausible, with road trips to Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and Alabama)? I dont know that the flashy new stadium holds off the invasion of purple and gold.Cole Sullivan: We will have a legitimate advantage against every team we play at home except LSU.

You could build a one hundred thousand-person stadium on Mars and there would be Tigahs fans camped out in the parking lot, cooking up space gumbo outside their custom purple-and-gold space RVs as early as the space Wednesday before the game.PatrickSawyer: The sellout with a meager resale market was a shock.

I expected a lot of scalper season ticket holders would eat these games with big profit coming from LSU and Auburn.

I think they need to be 2-1 coming back for Georgia State then blowout Georgia State and Utah State to not get completely invaded by LSU.

It will probably still be a majority of LSU fans, but Missouri could be a chance to finally have a crowd advantage against a P4 opponent.

To do that, Vanderbilt needs to be at least 4-3 with no big blowout losses.Andrew VU 04: Well, we packed the damned house against a crappy FCS team like Charleston Southern.

When I was a student, like 500 people tops would show up for such a game, and many of them late.

As long as we dont sell our tickets to traveling SEC big boys for profit, we can.

For the love of Jobu, dont sell your tickets to our rivals for profit this year, old rich people....and yes, of course it is only possible if and when were a winning team._____________________________________________________________________________Question from 79 Commode Dore:What is the over and under on how many times a Pavia brother gets arrested this season?Answers from AoG:Tom Stephenson: The real over/under is the number of felCole Sullivan: Oh TRUST they will get arrested again if when Diego hoists that national championship trophy.PatrickSawyer: 3.5.

They didnt get arrested after Alabama.

Im not sure why the win over Charleston Southern sparked an arrest-worthy time.Andrew VU 04: Well, its certainly over 2..._____________________________________________________________________________.

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