Linebacker, not running back, is Vanderbilt's greatest strength

In today's SEC blog, in a little ongoing feature he calls "Position Superlatives," ESPN's Chris Low proclaims running back to be Vandy's best position and wide receiver its worst.

In the spirit of ranking stuff, here's how we'd rank all the Commodore positions:

1. LINEBACKER: Sure, the running backs are talented, but how can you rank them ahead of a unit anchored by a legitimate All-American candidate in Chris Marve and bolstered by the return of part-time starter John Stokes and a corps of four talented and versatile redshirt sophomores in DeAndre Jones, Tristan Strong, Archie Barnes and Dexter Daniels?
• 2009 rating: No. 1.
• 2008 rating: No. 2.
• Room for improvement: Will get stronger with the continued health of Marve and the development of the young guys.

2. DEFENSIVE BACK: Sean Richardson and Casey Hayward would have received the hype of Warren Norman and Zac Stacy as true freshmen if the 2008 secondary hadn't been simply outstanding... and if they'd gotten the ink that offensive players do. Jamie Graham is the real deal, and the three true sophomores — Samuels, Foster and Wilson — are also players. Ladler and Fullam are ringing bells in spring practice at safety, and there's a ton of talent headed to campus.
• 2009 rating: No. 2.
• 2008 rating: No. 1. D.J. Moore, Myron Lewis, Ryan Hamilton and Reshard Langford. Possibly the best secondary in Vanderbilt history.
• Room for improvement: If the new guys catch on fast and the nucleus continues to develop, look out.

3. RUNNING BACK: It's a testament to Warren and Zac that any unit returning from one of America's worst offenses is ranked this high.
• 2009 rating: No. 5
• 2008 rating: No. 9
• Room for improvement: Improvement? With a makeshift offensive line and a non-existent passing attack, let's just hope these guys are walking by the end of the season.

4. TIGHT END: Barden had a tough year, mostly because opposing defenses were laughing at our receivers and making him work for every single catch. And he was forced to be more of a downfield threat than he was capable of. But he's still a talented guy, and if Austin Monahan bounces back from injury and Mason Johnston continues to develop then this is one solid unit.
• 2009 rating: No. 8. Monahan hurt and Barden had too big a burden.
• 2008 rating: No. 7. The best thing about the 2008 offense.
• Room for improvement: Barden can and should be much improved over last season.

5. KICKER: Ryan Fowler developed into a solid field goal kicker.
• 2009 rating: No. 6
• 2008 rating: No. 6
• Room for improvement: If true freshman Carey Spear can chalk up touchbacks and nail 55-yarders like everybody thinks he can, then this will be an improved unit.

6. DEFENSIVE END: Tim Fugger is solid, Teriall Brannon and Theron Kadri have loads of experience and there's a ton of young talent, but Broderick Stewart and Steven Stone will be greatly missed.
• 2009 rating: No. 7. While Stewart was flashier, the defense never recovered from the loss of Stone, who was a quiet force for most of his career.
• 2008 rating: No. 4. Stewart and Stone healthy.
• Room for improvement: With redshirt sophomores Josh Jelesky and Johnell Thomas, redshirt freshmen Walker May and Thad McHaney, and true freshmen Thomas Ryan and James Kittredge, the Dores are loaded numbers-wise at end. Somebody out of this group will likely emerge and maybe even unseat one of the upperclassmen.

7. DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Not the same unit after the loss of Adam Smotherman to a torn ACL. T.J. Greenstone is solid, but Rob Lohr saw only spot duty last season.
• 2009 rating: No. 4. Billinger, Smotherman and Greenstone were solid, if not dominating.
• 2008 rating: No. 5. A solid contributor to a top-notch defense.
• Room for improvement: Depends on how soon the three true freshmen — Kyle Woestmann, Jared Morse and Vince Taylor — can contribute. These guys have plenty of talent.

8. QUARTERBACK: Larry Smith has most of a season under his belt but isn't 100 percent after tearing his hamstring in the Tech game. Jordan Rodgers has the bloodlines and Charlie Goro was a Parade All-American. Does any of that mean anything? We'll find out.
• 2009 rating: No. 9
• 2008 rating: No. 11. While Chris Nickson stepped up big in several victories, he and Mackenzi Adams played a major role in several demoralizing losses.
• Room for improvement: These guys will get better, which may not be apparent if the offensive line and receivers don't.

9. PUNTER: Bobby Johnson says the starter will be walk-on Richard Kent, but he'll also be grooming true freshman Carey Spear, who's only been punting for a year.
• 2009 rating: No. 3. All hail Brett Upson.
• 2008 rating: No. 3. Music City Bowl MVP.
• Room for improvement: Kent is a complete unknown and Spear is a project. If their performance is average then everybody will be thrilled.

10. OFFENSIVE LINE: Joey Bailey appears to have won the center job in the spring, James Williams is a sure-fire starter at right tackle, Wes Johnson is going to start somewhere, and Kyle Fischer just may live up to his potential. But the sudden departure of senior Reilly Lauer and the spring shoulder injury to Ryan Seymour were huge setbacks.
• 2009 rating: No. 10. Never recovered from Williams' injury against LSU.
• 2008 rating: No. 8. Admirable performance for five brand-new starters.
• Room for improvement: If Williams has fully recovered, Seymour returns from his spring injury, Johnson develops like everybody expects, Fischer lives up to his potential, Bailey becomes a solid starter, and young guys like Mylon Brown and Caleb Welchans step up, then this could be a fine unit. That's a lot of ifs. But they all could happen.

11. WIDE RECEIVER: Before last season fell apart and everything about the Commodores except the freshman kick returner appeared to be a weakness, the receivers were the obvious weak link. That's still the case. For example, John Cole is being touted by the university as an all-star candidate. A possible solid starter yes, but an all-star candidate alongside the likes of A.J. Green and Julio Jones? You've got to be kidding.
• 2009 rating: No. 11. The same guys as this year, plus Alex Washington.
• 2008 rating: No. 10. But how we'd love to have Sean Walker and Justin Wheeler back.
• Room for improvement: No place to go but up. Sophomore Brady Brown has size and skills, and true freshmen Chris Boyd, Jonathan Krause, Jordan Matthews and maybe even Trent Pruitt should get a chance to crack the lineup.

Charlie Goro: The wild card in the Vandy quarterback race

Maybe you noticed this link that The Anonymous Goro Lover left in the comments of several recent MV! blog posts.

You know The Anonymous Goro Lover. He's the guy or maybe the gal who stops by frequently to praise redshirt freshman quarterback Charlie Goro.

I don't know where TAGL found this link, but whoever wrote it thought Goro was going to be the most exciting player in the SEC. Last season. Instead, Goro redshirted just like every other quarterback Bobby Johnson has ever signed.

Goro is intriguing. Since the day Goro committed to the Commodores, everybody's been talking about his leadership ability. Larry Smith has a bigger arm, but Goro's probably more accurate and has better touch on the short ball, in addition to being a better leader.

We think. Who knows? Remember that Larry and even Jared Funk were unanimous three-star prospects.

Here's what I hope: If Goro is the real deal and our quarterback of the future, I hope Bobby Johnson puts the ball in his hands and lets him run the team for four straight years. Remember two years ago when Larry was a redshirt freshman and played his first game in the regular season finale and then started the bowl game?

If Goro's not ready, well, Smith has two years of eligibility remaining and Jordan Rodgers has three to play two. It's certainly an interesting situation.

Order your SEC Football Championship Game tickets now: Vandy just signed a blue-chip ... longsnapper

Ah, the Commodores have finally found the missing piece to building a championship team:

A longsnapper. Yes, a longsnapper.

It's the second straight year the Dores have added a player to its recruiting class after the start of spring practice.

Last year, in the grand Commodore tradition of sacrificing a returning starter to the gridiron gods early in spring practice, wide receiver Justin Wheeler blew out his knee and a late scholarship was given to Collin Ashley, who played as a true freshman but has now transferred to Arkansas as a walk-on.

This year, probably because the Commodores had an extra scholarship after the death of Rajaan Bennett, Vandy has signed Andrew East, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds from Indianapolis. He's listed as an inside linebacker by rivals.com, which didn't rate him.

Scout.com gives him one star, which means they also didn't rate him, but lists him as a longsnapper.

And not just any longsnapper. Scout.com's Vandy writer quotes a nationally recognized snapping coach (yes, they apparently have such things) as saying that East is a "five-star longsnapper." If they actually gave five stars to longsnappers.

A five-star longsnapper. Wow.

If you're doubting me, just look at his photo. The kid is wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a longsnapper. Only serious longsnappers wear longsnapper T-shirts.

Hey Florida Gator fans, you can keep your five-star quarterbacks and wide receivers and linebackers. We've got a FIVE-STAR LONGSNAPPER. And apparently we're the only school in the SEC and perhaps America enlightened enough to dedicate a full scholarship to a guy whose talent lies exclusively in snapping the ball between his legs to a guy who's going to kick it.

Currently, walk-on David Giller handles the longsnapping duties with John Stokes backing him up. Bob Davies likes to talk about how slow our longsnapping is. Maybe that's why we've actually given a scholarship to one.

Hey, if nobody emerges from spring practice as a clear-cut starting quarterback, maybe "Andy East: Five Star Longsnapper" can just line up backwards in the shotgun, catch the snap from our center between his legs and then just zip the ball down the field to one of our wide receivers.

Warren Norman and Zac Stacy switch to single digits

Think Bobby Johnson's going to tell us which quarterback is playing the best in spring practice?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

But we do know who has a new number.

Star freshmen running backs Warren Norman and Zac Stacy have downsized their numbers, Norman from No. 27 to No. 5 and Stacy from No. 21 to No. 2.

Both are shifty little guys, relatively speaking, so this isn't quite as jarring as, say, big Brandon Barden switching to No. 6 last spring.

The City Paper is reporting that safety Sean Richardson is dumping his No. 38 and grabbing Stacy's No. 21.

Meanwhile, freshman Kenny Ladler, who's enrolled early and is participating in spring practice, will wear Norman's old No. 27.

And who knows? If Ladler wins a starting position and lays the wood to opposing players, which is not outside the realm of possibility, then he could be the second straight Commodore wearing No. 27 to win SEC Freshman of the Year.

But that's getting a little ahead of ourselves.

In other numbers news, Jordan Rodgers will wear the No. 11 vacated by Brent Trice.

NEWTON GONE?

It appears linebacker Austin Newton, who would have been a fifth-year senior, is no longer on the team. He played special teams last season and with the emergence of four redshirt freshmen linebackers last season — Archie Barnes, Dexter Daniels, DeAndre Jones and Tristan Strong — he was not expected to crack the depth chart this year.

Adam Smotherman tears ACL on first day of full contact

Turns out on the first day of full contact, the Commodores lose a returning starter and a projected starter. Redshirt senior Adam Smotherman tore an ACL and will return to the long road to recovery that he took two years ago when he blew out his knee. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Seymour, a projected starter at left tackle, injured his shoulder and will require surgery.

The official Vandy site has more details.

Highlights from the scrimmage include:

• Two red zone drill touchdowns, including a strike from Larry Smith to Brandon Barden and a 15-yard run by — who else? — Warren Norman.

• Sacks by three defensive ends, including redshirt junior Tim Fugger, redshirt frosh Walker May and senior Theron Kadri.

• Key drive-stopping tackles by DTs T.J. Greenstone, a redshirt junior, and Rob Lohr, a redshirt sophomore.

• All four scholarship quarterbacks — Smith, Goro, Funk and Rodgers — had first down strikes.

Vandy football goes off the air

Show me a college football team currently in spring practice that's getting less exposure right now than Vanderbilt.

I mean there's been nothing. Nothing in the Tennessean, nothing on the official VU site, nothing on chat boards.

Nothing. And the Commodores have been practicing for nearly a week, and those practices are closed to the public. Meanwhile, Jeff Lockridge, the Tennessean's VU beat writer, is apparently recovering from his trip out West covering the Hoopodores. The City Paper did run a story Sunday on Jordan Rodgers, but it contained nothing we didn't learn from his press conference on signing day.

Nothing. And Bobby Johnson wants it that way. After last year's Music Bowl championship, every spring practice was followed by an in-depth report on which players looked fast and which ones were competing hard and making plays and that sort of thing.

We learned that Jared Funk was a strong candidate for playing time and that Taylor Loftley was one of the most improved defensive linemen on the team.

A year later, we realize that Jared Funk's playing time came in the form of the punt coverage team and that Loftley, while dramatically improved, had not dramatically improved enough to actually play in a real game.

In other words, we spent all last spring getting excited about this team and in the fall we were bitterly disappointed. Maybe this year we'll be bitterly disappointed in the team's performance in the spring and then elated in the fall.

Oh, here's another thing: Every team in the SEC except Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt have already received commitments for the 2011 recruiting class.

Stallings: "That's why this is a great tournament"

After losing at the buzzer to Murray State, Kevin Stallings talked about how badly he felt for his players, especially Jermaine Beal, and then he said this:

"That's why this is a great tournament because things like that happen, and it is what it is."

It is what it is. An overused expression for sure, but it certainly applies here. This hurts, and many Vandy fans will do what's natural, and that's to question Stallings, question our players, offer simplistic solutions, etc.

I'm not going to do that. I'm going to enjoy some more great games tonight and Friday and then I'm pulling for the Racers on Saturday against Butler or UTEP and then I'm enjoying the Sweet 16 and then the Elite 8 and then the Final Four and then the national championship game.

And all the time, I'll be pulling for the little guys to knock off the big fellas, because that's what people do this time of year.

Well, unless your team IS the big fella. And for a few wonderful months this winter, the Commodores actually were among the big fellas.

It is what it is.