5 positions that will determine whether Vanderbilt football reaches Clark Lea's bowl goal

Nashville Tennessean
Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea hasn't been shy about his team's goals for this season. After finishing 5-7 a year ago, Lea has made it a priority to get the job done and make a bowl game in 2023.
But Lea is also realistic about where his program is. Though the level of roster talent is getting better, his team still competes in the SEC, where every game is tough.
"Our goal is postseason play," Lea said in his opening statement at SEC Media Days on Tuesday at Grand Hyatt hotel. "The margins remain razor thin for our program, and the difference between achieving our goal and being left in the wake of disappointment likely comes down to a handful of snaps this season."
Even in 2022, there were a handful of snaps that, if they went the other way, could've led Vanderbilt to a bowl game. Most notably, the Commodores missed two field goals in a 17-14 loss at Missouri.
Here are the areas where Vanderbilt most needs positive output to get those margins in its favor:
Quarterback
Sophomore AJ Swann comes in as the incumbent starter after flashing at times during his freshman season. But he also missed most of the second half of 2022 due to injury.
When Swann started, he showed good efficiency and ability to move the ball, but he sometimes held onto the ball too long and lacked explosive playmaking. Those will surely be areas of focus in 2023.
"He's got still some to prove," Lea said in a breakout media session. "I've got full confidence in him, and I'm excited for him. But, you know, durability, and not just his ability, it's also consistency and play. ... We know he can make big plays in big moments, we've seen that he needs to be able to consistently facilitate performance and those around him. ... There's a lot to be excited about. He's still young in his process, and we have to give him time and and coach him into a level of consistency that can help us win at the highest level."
Tight end
Vanderbilt was dealt a crushing blow at tight end as redshirt freshman Cole Spence tore his ACL and will miss the 2023 season.
That leaves the only returning tight end on the roster as redshirt senior Justin Ball. The other tight ends are senior Logan Kyle, who recently converted to the position from wide receiver, freshmen Kamrean Johnson and Josh Palmer and Chris Boyle, a preferred walk-on transfer from FCS Brown.
The lack of depth at that position may lead Vanderbilt to use four-wide receiver sets more often, a year after frequently preferring two-tight end sets.
"In any game plan, we're going to have the ability to put four receivers on the field, for sure," Lea said.
Linebacker
Vanderbilt is losing Anfernee Orji, one of the leaders on the defense and a consistent performer. The good news is it still returns a lot of experience at the position.
Senior Ethan Barr and redshirt senior Kane Patterson both saw significant snaps in 2022, and Patterson has moved from the MIKE to the WILL position in order to get him and Barr on the field together more frequently.
Sophomore Langston Patterson and redshirt freshman Bryce Cowan also came up among defensive players as youngsters who could take a step forward.
Cornerback
Vanderbilt didn't see many transfers in the offseason, something players credit to a high level of buy-in. But the one player who did transfer in the spring was a tough loss: cornerback Jadais Richard.
Corner was one of the Commodores' weakest positions in 2022, and while they return experience in BJ Anderson and Tyson Russell, both players had their share of struggles last season.
Lea did speak highly of Martel Hight, a 4-star recruit who could push for playing time right away.
"I feel like Tyson has stepped up in the in the role of being that guy corner for us this year," safety Jaylen Mahoney said. "So I'm really excited to see what Tyson can do for us."
Running back
Even after incumbent running back Ray Davis transferred to Kentucky, Vanderbilt players and coaches still spoke highly of him both as a player and person. That's proof of just how big of a hole he's leaving after rushing for 1,000 yards last year.
Most of the media days hype focused around a deep group of experienced receivers, but what the Commodores can find at running back will be equally important.