Off the roster: Terence Jeffers-Harris would be a huge loss for Commodores

Click here and link to the latest Vanderbilt roster.

Look for wide receiver Terence Jeffers-Harris.

OK, stop. You won't find him. He's not on the roster.

That's right. Jeffers, or Jeffers-Harris as we're calling him lately, is not listed. And as everybody knows, he's been in summer school trying to amass enough credits to become eligible to play. And with a couple of weeks left in class, he's no longer on the roster.

I take this as a very bad sign. He's been listed all summer and as exams — and the start of the season! — approach, his name vanishes. Maybe it's a motivational tool. Maybe it's a ploy by the coaching staff to help opposing teams forget about him. Let's hope it's anything but what it appears to be.

We need Jeffers-Harris badly. Vandy fans know about his big play ability and have been counting on him to help move the offense away from that embarrassing 117th national ranking. He's a big, strong guy who goes over the middle and a fast guy who goes deep. In the spring, he and Larry Smith were developing into a lethal combination. Sure, we're putting together a nice collection of smart, quick little guys who run crisp routes and represent a fine supporting cast for... Mr. Jeffers-Harris.

More than ever, I think, this means true freshman Brady Brown needs to be ready to play right away. He's not physical like J-H or the deep threat J-H is, but he's a big target. Also, without J-H, the tight ends are going to be more important than ever. Barden and Monahan are huge targets, Justin Green has lots of untapped potential, and I'll be interested to see if the coaching staff will be tempted to take the redshirt off freshman Mason Johnston.