Notes and news from Vandy's first practice

Ah, so these players we've been talking about and this team we've been analyzing all summer are finally on the practice field. If you want to check out some of the new players and track their progress, I'd highly recommend going to the official Vanderbilt Web site. This morning, you'll find two photo galleries of players practicing. I spent a few minutes learning the numbers of some of the new players. You know, because you should never stop learning.

Also, the Tennessean's new VU beat writer, Jeff Lockridge, is doing a fine job following the Dores so far. Check out his coverage and notes from last night's practice.

Anyway, here are a few things from Day 1:

• SAMUELS READY TO GO: True frosh cornerback Eric Samuels, who for some reason was listed on the depth chart as sharing No. 37 with safety Al Owens, is now wearing No. 22. He's a great-looking athlete, long and lean like now-sophomore safety Sean Richardson, who didn't get much hype when he signed but played in the season opener and immediately looked like he belonged there.

• BIG NUMBER SIX: Speaking of numbers, No. 6 sort of has a slimming effect on hulking tight end Brandon Barden, who wore No. 87 last season.

• FAREWELL, FELLOWS: Receiver Justin Wheeler and linebacker Brandon Bryant, both fifth-year seniors, are officially done with their playing careers because of injury. Wheeler had huge touchdown catches in upsets of South Carolina in 2007 and Auburn in 2008. Bryant battled multiple injuries and never got to show off his big-league pursuit skills. Thanks, guys. Now get that Vanderbilt diploma.

• ONE LESS REDSHIRT FROSH: Offensive lineman Micheal Bryant has left the team. A 6-5, 285-pounder from LaVergne, Tenn., he was caught in a log jam of redshirt freshmen O-linemen that included Ryan Seymour, Caleb Welchans and Richard Cagle, but he'd improved his strength and quickness and was competing to backup right guard Eric Hensley.

• STRONG WANTS TO START...AT TSU: As we've noted for about a week, Alan Strong has left the team. Looks like the rumors that he's headed to Tennessee State are true. Strong told Lockridge: "I was listed on the second string behind D.J. Moore but I never got the opportunity to go into the game when D.J. or Myron got hurt. TSU is in Nashville so it's familiar. Their record was pretty good last year, they were one game away from the OVC championship and I think I could have helped them out." It's a shame to lose our only experienced backup at cornerback. Strong was a good athlete, had played in some big games, and was seemingly one injury away from starting or getting some serious minutes. Maybe the freshmen look so good and ready to play that Strong saw no choice but to leave.

• WILSON'S GOT THE MOVIN' MAN BLUES: True freshman Trey Wilson, one of those freshmen DBs expected to play right away, didn't practice last night. Why? He dropped a bed on his toe moving into his dorm. No kidding.

• FRESHMAN BACKS ON THE ATTACK: Stan Jones of Vandy Mania reports that the three freshman running backs — Warren Norman, Zac Stacy and Wesley Tate (note alphabetical order) — look "great" and have "very quick feet." He says Stacy looks particularly impressive.

• WAITING ON TERENCE: Terence Jeffers-Harris made an appearance at practice wearing jogging shoes but did not participate. We should know early next week if he's got the academic credits to play.

• CABBAGE IN THE HOUSE: If you're looking at the photo gallery of practice, you'll notice a big No. 70 working out with the O-Line. That's true frosh Justin Cabbagestalk, who's been suspended for the season but is enrolled in school and practicing with the team. "We thought it was important to get him here, let us keep tabs on him and know that he'll be around a good group of people who are going to influence him well," Coach Bobby Johnson told Lockridge. Just call it the Tampa program, because the same thing happened to Jermaine Doster last season.

• ON THE MEND: Jared Hawkins, Broderick Stewart and John Stokes were back on the field after missing spring practice recovering from injuries and surgeries

Five Vanderbilt opponents in Top 15 of USA Today Coaches poll

The USA Today Coaches' Poll is out, and here's how Vanderbilt's 2009 opponents fared:

• Sept. 5: Vs. Western Carolina, lower division
• Sept. 12: At No. 9 LSU
• Sept. 19: Vs. Miss State, unranked
• Sept. 26: At Rice, unranked
• Oct. 3: Vs. No. 10 Ole Miss
• Oct. 10: At Army, unranked
• Oct. 17: Vs. No. 13 Georgia
• Oct. 24: At No. 37 South Carolina
• Oct. 31: Vs. No. 15 Georgia Tech
• Nov. 7: At No. 1 Florida
• Nov. 14: Vs. No. 42 Kentucky
• Nov. 21: At No. 53 Tennessee

It'll be a tale of two halves for the Commodores:
• First half: Four of six games against opponents that didn't receive votes in the poll, but the other two against Top 10 teams.
• Second half: All six games against opponents that received votes, including three opponents in the Top 15.

Oh, Vandy and Miss State were the only SEC teams that failed to receive votes. Bama is ranked No. 5, Auburn No. 39 and Arkansas No. 44.

Half the coaches in the league had a vote: Brooks from Kentucky, Miles from LSU, Mullen from Miss State, Richt from Georgia, Saban from Bama and some flunky from the South Carolina athletic department — I mean Coach Spurrier.

Moral Victory! offensive preview: Only one way to go

OK, we promised you a preview before preseason practice. Here, position by position, is where the Commodore offense stands now, where they could end up, and what needs to happen for them to get there.

Here's the rating system:
1. BCS Bowl
2. Cotton Bowl
3. Music City Bowl
4. Independence Bowl
5. Living Room

Oh, and just because we won the Music City Bowl last year doesn't mean every position gets a Music City Bowl rating. For example, our Music City Bowl championship team exhibited a Cotton Bowl defense, BCS Bowl special teams and an offense that was decidedly Living Room (as in not worthy of a bowl game, get it?).

QUARTERBACKS
Current rating: Living Room
Potential: Cotton Bowl
What must happen: Larry Smith's got to win the starting job, stay healthy all year, and show poise and leadership in November, when the Dores traditionally fall apart. If all that happens, the offense could be vastly improved and the team could reach new heights. I expect him to start for the next three seasons and to be a star. This new spread offense is built for Larry. But if Mackenzi Adams or Jared Funk is in the starting lineup at all this season, it'll be a sign of trouble.

RUNNING BACKS
Current rating: Living Room
Potential: Music City Bowl
What must happen: Jared Hawkins has to be fully recovered from his foot injury and bouncing like a pinball through and around the line like he did early last season. And if one of the freshmen, probably either Wesley Tate or Zac Stacy, can emerge ahead of the rest of the pack as an every down back, then Hawkins can be freed to be the inside/outside/pass-catching utility back he really is. JHawk is really the key here. Don't expect the freshmen running backs to take the SEC by storm right away, but expect them to show a spark here and there and do what the veteran backs like Reeves and Miller can't.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Current rating: Living room
Potential: Music City Bowl
What must happen: We'll know shortly whether Terence Jeffers-Harris will be eligible. If so, look for a vastly improved receiving corps. With him, the Dores would have a nice second option in John Cole and some interesting pieces in senior Alex Washington, sophomore Udom Umoh, transfer Tray Herndon, raw but athletic Akeem Dunham and especially the tall true freshman Brady Brown. And another true frosh, Collin Ashley. Without J-H, though, things get really dicey. Everybody got excited about fifth-year senior Washington in the spring, but he's got maybe 10 receptions after four years on campus. He can contribute, but a go-to guy he's not.

TIGHT ENDS
Current rating: Music City Bowl
Potential: BCS Bowl
What must happen: Brandon Barden is a beast and should continue to be so. He stepped up big early in the season and seemed to thrive when the game was on the line, making huge TD catches against SC and Auburn. Now he's got Austin Monahan, who was the starter before an early injury and at a sturdy 6-7 makes for a huge target. If Monahan's healed up, Barden's on his game and either Justin Green gets mad and starts showing some aggressiveness or true freshman Mason Johnston turns heads and cracks the gameday roster, then the Dores could have a tight end corps second to none.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Current rating: Independence Bowl
Potential: Music City Bowl
What must happen: Sure, the Dores return all five starters, but O-Line coach Robbie Caldwell is still searching for answers. Only center Bradley Vierling and tackle Thomas Welch can be written in the lineup in ink. Left tackle Reilly Lauer is athletic but awfully light at 275 and has problems run blocking, so Welch may slide from the right side to the left, and redshirt frosh Ryan Seymour is getting a look there too. The 322-pound right guard Eric Hensley is the closest thing the Dores have to an SEC-caliber run blocker but he has trouble pass blocking. Left guard Kyle Fischer, an All-SEC freshman selection last year, could slide over to right tackle if Welch goes to the left, but he's battling massive sophomore Jamie Williams, who made a move in the spring, and if he stays at right guard he could lose that job to fifth year senior Ryan Custer, who's making a last stand. Consider all this tinkering to be a good sign. Caldwell's not satisfied that he's got five returning starters — he actually wants them to get a first down on third and one, something they failed to do five times in the Music City Bowl. If he strike upon the right combination early and that unit can gel quickly and adapt to the new offense, then the entire offense will benefit.

OFFENSIVE OUTLOOK
Current rating: Living Room
Potential: Music City Bowl
Summary: This doesn't mean the Dores are headed to the Music City Bowl again. It means that if Larry Smith takes the reins, the receiving corps steps up and the line gels, then we'll have an offense capable of scoring enough points to get us to a second-tier bowl like the Music City, even without all the improbable breaks we got last season.

We'll have the defensive preview later today or early tomorrow. Have a good weekend.

Some NFL news while we wait for Vandy to practice

The Commodores start preseason practice tomorrow. By the weekend, look for us to preview the team as it enters camp, including who's likely to win key battles for starting and key backup positions. Anything specific you'd like us to address?

While we're waiting for camp to start, here's links to some Vandy-related NFL news:

• Nobody's talking about replacing Sean Walker — just finding a couple of guys who can actually catch — but look who's making a splash as a free agent in the Rams camp.

• After floating around for a couple of months as a victim in the Broncos project to purge all Commodores from its roster, Jamie Winborn has signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Cool. Here's a Q&A with Winborn on his new team.

• Oh yeah, you probably heard that Bobby Johnson visited the VanderBears over the weekend. He told a Nashville radio station that about 6,000 Bears fans mobbed Cutler for autographs after a practice.

• Apparently Bears fans continue to clamor for a real receiver, but one columnist asserts that perhaps Earl Bennett is just that.

Zac Stacy can tote the ironing board; freshman get settled into dorms

For some reason, I always enjoy Brandon Barca's annual photos of freshmen football players moving into the dorms. They look kind of like I did when I was a freshman: Sort of stunned, sort of shy but also sort of bored lugging all those suitcases and boxes. Except I didn't run a 4.4 40 and bench 350 pounds.

Anyway, check out the photos, in which you can get a glimpse of all three true freshman running backs, including:
• Warren Norman, wearing flip-flops and looking like he's bulked up a bit since signing day.
• Zac Stacy, looking fit and slippery in his warm-up gear...and toting an ironing board.
• Wesley Tate, definitely looking bigger and more imposing than both of them.

It'll be an interesting battle in preseason camp. The other day on the radio Bobby Johnson said he had "three guys we really feel great about. They have a knack for making people miss."

And speaking of other true frosh, if you look up the definition of "big boy," you'll see a picture of offensive lineman Mylon Brown.

Which one of Vandy's 23 redshirt freshmen will be stars, or at least play?

Remember Chris Marve, Brandon Barden, T.J. Greenstone, Jamie Graham, Kyle Fischer and Larry Smith? All were redshirt freshmen last season who left their mark on a winning season.

So which of this year's 23 redshirt freshmen will be this year's stars... or starters... or at least recipients of significant playing time?

Here's a Top 5, with thoughts on the rest:

1. Ryan Fowler, PK (5-10, 165) (pictured above): Sure, he looks kind of like Doogie Houser, but Fowler has manly leg strength – in high school, 90 percent of his kickoffs were touchbacks. And the Commodores need somebody to replace Bryant Hahnfeldt right now. Coaches have talked about perhaps letting punter Brett Upson kick PATs and short field goals and let Fowler kick off and boot the long stuff. But with Upson gone after this season, Fowler will handle all the place-kicking chores sooner or later, and the bet here is that it’ll be sooner. The Commodores have zero margin for error, especially on defense and special teams, which means Fowler could be Vandy’s most important redshirt freshman.

2. John Cole, WR (5-11, 170): We’ll know in a day or two whether Vandy will be playing this season with Terrence Jeffers-Harris, who would instantly be the team’s go-to receiver. Cole, a projected starter and a nice combination of speed, sure hands and crisp route running, could be the team’s No. 1 wideout without Jeffers-Harris. And with J-H in the lineup and being double-teamed, Cole could rack up even bigger numbers. Either way, he’s a big part of Vandy’s offensive plans this season. And he’s bigger and stronger than last season, when he was injured returning punts in the season opener.

3. DeAndre Jones, LB (6-0, 225): Sure, Vanderbilt returns all three starting linebackers – Patrick Benoist, Chris Marve and John Stokes – with a fourth, senior Brent Trice, looking spectacular in the spring and threatening to take Stokes’ starting job. But don’t forget last season, when Chris Marve burst on the scene as a redshirt frosh and was impossible to keep off the field. Jones is a highly touted prospect with a reputation as a big hitter. If one of the backers goes down with injury or struggles, Jones has the talent to immediately crack the starting lineup and stay there for four seasons. In the meantime, he’ll be wreaking havoc on special teams.

4. Ryan Seymour, OL (6-4, 294): Robbie Caldwell isn’t satisfied with his starting offensive line and will keep on tinkering to make it better. A big concern has been starting left tackle Reilly Lauer, a former defensive end who’s athletic and posseses a long wingspan but is awfully thin at 6-7, 275. Enter Seymour, another defensive end who moved to offensive tackle, specifically left tackle, in the spring. He’s also bulked up and weighs a good 20 pounds more than Lauer. And now Thomas Welch is listed as the starting left tackle, moving from right tackle, which leaves part-time starting guard Kyle Fischer and little-used sophomore Jamie Williams duking it out at right tackle. Anyway, there’s a shakeup in the works, and Seymour could be a starter – or at least a major part of the rotation – when it’s all said and done.

5. Taylor Loftley, DT (6-2, 280): Defensive tackle is suddenly a strength of the Commodores, with starters Greg Billinger and Adams Smotherman and super-sub T.J. Greenstone returning. It seems natural to expect redshirt freshmen Rob Lohr and Colt Nichter to join the playing rotation and give the Big 3 a rest. Both were on the travel roster last season and practiced with the game-day squad but somehow kept their redshirts. But while they were preparing to play in game situations, Loftley was strapping on the feedbag, slinging around the weights, and putting on 30 pounds of muscle and bulk. It’s just a hunch, but we see him passing Lohr and Nichter by the start of the season and getting some serious minutes.

Here are some other redshirt freshmen who could make a mark this season:

• Johnell Thomas, DE (6-0, 250): Was a beast in the spring. Sure, the Dores already go three-deep at end, but if Thomas continues to improve he could pass Fugger, Kadri and Brannon on the depth chart and be poised for stardom in 2010. Sure, he’s small, but he’s quick.

• Micah Powell, DB (6-0, 200): Ryan Hamilton’s backup will likely get plenty of reps, especially on special teams. The secondary lacks the depth it had last season.

• Rob Lohr, DT (6-4, 280): Listed, with Nichter, as second team at tackle. When he was recruited, one service listed him as an athlete. Big athlete.

• Al Owens, DB (6-2, 215): Listed with Powell as the backup strong safety after playing free safety all spring. Will be challenged by true freshmen like Javon Marshall and Jay Fullam.

• Akeem Dunham, WR (6-3, 198): A basketball star in high school, Dunham’s got speed and good hands and continues to learn the game. Especially if J-H doesn’t become eligible and Alex Washington struggles, the Dores will need a playmaker, and Dunham is a possibility.

• Tristan Strong, LB (6-1, 228): Like Marve last season and Jones this season, he’s got loads of talent, soaked things up as a redshirt frosh, and is determined to get on the field. He can play any backer position.

• Colt Nichter, DT (6-1, 286): Has a strong lower body, understands the scheme, and will get a chance to challenge Lohr and Loftley.

• Richard Kent P (6-2, 190): A rocket-legged walk-on who will back up Brett Upson at punter and may be called upon from time to time to boom a traditional, non-rugby punt.

• Caleb Welchans, OL (6-5, 290): Could provide significant help at either guard or tackle. Not listed on the preseason depth chart, but hit the weights hard in the fall and had an impressive spring practice.

• Michael Bryant, OL (6-5, 285): Competing with Chris Aaron to back up Eric Hensley at right guard, but not listed on the preseason depth chart. Spent last season working on his strength and quickness.

These guys may see some meaningful playing time, but will probably get lost in the sea of players:

• Dexter Daniels, LB (6-1, 225): An athletic player who provides immediate depth at weakside backer, but so does Jones and Strong.

• Archie Barnes, LB (6-3, 225): He’s an athlete still learning to play linebacker, but a bunch of guys on the team already know how to play it.

• John Burrow, DT-DE (6-4, 255): He’s a tweener who provides depth at both positions.

• Richard Cagle, OL (6-4, 275): Projected as a reserve guard but like Bryant and Welchans is not listed on the preseason depth chart. Appears to be the least likely of the four redshirt freshman offensive linemen to get significant playing time this season.

• Josh Jelesky, DE (6-5, 248): At the bottom of a crowded and experienced group of defensive ends.

And then there are the walk-ons:

• Chavez Scott, RB (5-8, 192): Walk-on who turned heads on the scout team last season and showed solid rushing skills in the spring; still, he’s at the bottom of the list of Vandy tailbacks and with three touted true freshmen won’t get much of a chance to change that.

Jameson Sackey, WR (6-1, 205): Walk-on who’s showed ability but needs to take huge strides to see any playing time.

Kurt Lockhart, DB (6-1, 204): A walk-on who’ll get lost in the logjam of five true freshman DBs.

Vanderbilt freshmen DBs will get thrown into fire early

Nobody seems terribly worried about the Vandy secondary this season, probably because of the presence of a legitimate All-American candidate at cornerback (Myron Lewis) and a legitimate All-SEC candidate at safety (Ryan Hamilton). Oh yeah, and the fact that the league's quarterbacks, with the exception of Tebow and Snead, are young and inexperienced.

But Alan Strong's apparent transferral to Tennessee State spotlights the weakness of the Vandy defense: experienced depth in the secondary. Let's compare last season's preseason secondary depth with this season's.

LAST SEASON
• Starting cornerbacks/nickel back: Myron Lewis, D.J. Moore, Darlron Spead
• Backup cornerbacks/nickel: Alan Strong, Josh Allen, Jared Fagan
• Starting safeties: Reshard Langford, Ryan Hamilton
• Backup safeties: Brent Trice, Joel Caldwell
• Returning starters: 5
• Total players with starting experience: 8
• Total players with playing experience: 10

THIS SEASON
• Starting cornerbacks/nickel back: Myron Lewis, Casey Hayward, Jamie Graham
• Backup cornerbacks/nickel: Freshmen Trey Wilson, Eric Samuels, Javon Marshall and Eddie Foster, walk-on Rich Tompkins
• Starting safeties: Ryan Hamilton, Sean Richardson
• Backup safeties: Joel Caldwell or redshirt frosh Al Owens and Micah Powell or true frosh Jay Fullam
• Returning starters: 2
• Total players with starting experience on defense: 3
• Total players with playing experience on defense: 5

So, last season we returned all five starters, counting the nickel, and all five reserves, all of whom were battle-tested in big SEC games and 80 percent of whom had starting experience. Wow.

This season, we return two starters and only three key reserves, one of whom has starting experience. In fact, only half of our top 10 DBs have ever played at the college level.

Remember how last season Casey Hayward and Sean Richardson were hand-picked from four freshman DBs to play special teams all season, and they learned the system and then starred in the bowl game?

That won't happen this season. A true freshman or two — or maybe three — will be thrown into the fire early. The best bets are Wilson and Samuels and maybe Javon Marshall and even Eddie Foster.