Vanderbilt's Lafonte Thourogood no longer a quarterback - making room for Gunner Kiel?

Lafonte Thourogood, the four-star athlete that Vandy stole from Virginia Tech on signing day, practiced last night at running back and will make the move from quarterback.

Thourogood was one of three players – Josh Grady and Kris Kentera being the others – to sign in February as a quarterback. Coach James Franklin emphatically stated on signing day that all three were quarterbacks.

That’s because he’d promised all of them the opportunity to compete for the quarterback job.

At the same time, he was telling reporters that Lafonte could change positions anytime Lafonte wanted. In other words, Lafonte came to Vanderbilt because he wanted to play quarterback, not because Vanderbilt wanted him to play quarterback.

Franklin said after last night’s practice that Thourogood came into his office and asked to change positions, but that it was something he wanted too.

“He wants an opportunity to play next year,” Franklin said, “and looking at our situation at quarterback he didn’t think that was going to happen.”

Smart kid. Jordan Rodgers grabbed the starting job this year and will only get better. Austyn Carta-Samuels, the transfer from Wyoming who was MVP of the New Mexico Bowl as a freshman and captain of the Cowboys as a sophomore, has been sharp on the scout team this year and will push Rodgers in the spring.

In fact, Grady and Kentera have been lining up at scout team receiver to catch passes from Carta-Samuels. But Grady is an impressive leader and continues to show potential to be a dual-threat quarterback in the SEC. Kentera, a wing-T quarterback in high school whose only major offer was from Vandy, is considered a project. Both will get some more time to develop as a signal-caller.

How much time?

It depends. For 2012, Vandy is set with Rodgers as its quarterback, with Carta-Samuels and Grady competing for the backup job as well as the starting job for 2013. Meanwhile, Kentera gets more time to develop as a quarterback.

But if Gunner Kiel, the nation’s No. 1 QB who by the way attended Vandy’s Liberty Bowl announcement party on Sunday night, shocks the world and signs with Vandy, then he’ll likely enroll early and play in the spring. That means everybody, even Rodgers, will feel the heat. Rodgers would likely start, but how sincere is Franklin’s sales pitch to “Come to Vanderbilt and play right away” if the nation’s No. 1 quarterback redshirts?

If Kiel did redshirt, he’d be groomed as a four-year starter, and suddenly Carta-Samuels is looking at finishing his career as a backup and Grady is switching to receiver or defensive back. Meanwhile, Kentera would likely fit whatever role – backup quarterback or maybe receiver or safety – in which he could most help the team.

Franklin is proving himself to be a shrewd collector of talent. We’ve said all along that he’s going to eventually get a blue chip quarterback to develop. It takes time to get one of those, and if he doesn’t get Kiel then Carta-Samuels and Grady will man the fort while Franklin keeps recruiting.

Neither Thourogood, Grady or Kentera was his quarterback of the future. As he said last night: “It wasn’t like we recruited three guys who could only play quarterback. We knew they’re athletic enough to play other positions and help us in other areas. You’re not gonna sign three drop-back quarterbacks where that’s the only position they can play.”

In other words, these guys can play quarterback if we don’t get our superstar drop-back passer, and they can change positions if we do.

Gunner Kiel would not be moving to wide receiver or safety. Ever.

As for Thourogood, Franklin said after practice that “he came out here and did a great job and the guys were very supportive of him and excited about watching him do some things… Instead of waiting till spring ball, I thought it was great on his part from a maturity standpoint to realize this is an opportunity to get some work in so when spring ball comes he’s further ahead.”

Now think about our running back situation for next year. We’ll have:

• Zac Stacy, senior, a 1,000-yard rusher and All-SEC performer
• Warren Norman, redshirt junior, former SEC freshman of the year who started his first two seasons ahead of Stacy
• Jerron Seymour, sophomore, who showed flashes of brilliance while rotating with Stacy
• Brian Kimbrow, freshman, the fastest man in high school football who’ll likely start his career as a return specialist and an all-purpose back for the Commodores
• Mitchell Hester, redshirt freshman, another speedster who was impressive in preseason camp
• Jaborian McKenzie, freshman, another solid recruit with speed and ball skills

Oh, and Thourogood, a big, strong athlete. And right now we’re the front-runner for Wes Brown, a big (at least by our standards) four-star running back.

Not all these guys will play running back, but they’ll play somewhere. Will Lafonte stick at quarterback? Who knows? Maybe he'll line up next year at wide receiver. Lots of folks think he'd make an outstanding outside linebacker. Can you imagine him at safety? The point is, Lafonte's position is now "not a quarterback," which means he's free to move around and find a home. He's a stud, and he's going to play somewhere.

Go back and watch Franklin’s signing day press conference and you’ll notice that he keeps repeating the word “flexible.” He wants athletes he can move around the field.

It’ll be fun to watch where all these guys play.

Is Josh Grady really redshirting? And what does this mean for Lafonte Thourogood?

Our pals over at Anchor of Gold noticed that Josh Grady told his legion of Twitter followers today that he's redshirting — or 'redshirtin" — but don't mock this kid's grammar because he'll probably be a brain surgeon one day.

Anyway, does this mean Grady is really redshirting? What it means, I think, is that Grady won't play against Elon — in hopes that he'll be able to redshirt and become a four-year starter — but he'll also travel with the team as the No. 3 quarterback and will be available if Smith and Rodgers go down.

Vandy does this every year. In the Music City Bowl season, true freshmen Rob Lohr and Colt Nichter were the fourth and fifth defensive tackles on the team. That's not fourth and fifth string, that's second team for Lohr and third team for Nichter. In other words, if just one person in the three man rotation — of Greg Billinger, Adam Smotherman and T.J. Greenstone — had gone down with injury, then Lohr would have burned his redshirt. And if another guy had been injured or unavailable to play, then Nichter would have burned his.

Remarkably, we won our first bowl game in 53 years with a team that played only three defensive tackles all year, and Lohr and Nichter were redshirted after all.

But last season, we planned to redshirt Logan Stewart and James Kittredge. Then Joey Bailey was injured and Kittredge took his place and burned his redshirt, but we needed another option at center so Logan Stewart burned his redshirt too and held down the position for the second half of the season.

No, Josh Grady won't be taking meaningless snaps in mop-up duty tomorrow night. If we're taking Elon to the woodshed late in the fourth quarter and Jordan Rodgers has already seen a good bit of action, you may see walk-on John Townsley get some snaps.

But you never know. Remember Tennessee's No. 3 quarterback in the Vols' season opener with UCLA in 1994? The starter was fifth-year senior Jerry Colquitt, the backup was a junior by the name of Todd Helton, and the third stringer was a true freshman named...

...Yes, Peyton Manning. And the No. 4 QB was another blue-chip true freshman named Branndon Stewart.

In that game, Colquitt went down early with a career-ending injury and was replaced by Helton, who quickly demonstrated why he was wise to concentrate on baseball. Then Coach Phil Fulmer burned the redshirt off Manning, which was no huge surprise, but then he also burned the redshirt off Stewart.

So by halftime of the season opener, Fulmer had played four quarterbacks and burned the redshirts off two of them.

Off course, Manning quickly emerged as the starter, Helton quit to hone his skills for the MLB draft, and Stewart transferred to Texas A&M, where he quarterbacked the Aggies to an upset over undefeated Kansas State in the 1998 Big 12 Championship Game, which paved the way for Tee Martin and the Vols (Peyton had graduated and was playing for the Colts) to face a lame-duck Florida State team in the national championship game.

But we digress. Grady will redshirt for now. He's the most game-ready of our three freshmen quarterbacks. Kris Kentera, a project who needs at least another year learning to be a passing quarterback, will almost certainly redshirt.

But what about Lafonte Thourogood? I noticed a Tweet from a Virginia Tech fan saying he wanted the Hokies to join the SEC just so they could make Vandy pay for stealing Thourogood from them on signing day.

To become an SEC quarterback, Thourogood needs a redshirt year more than Grady does. But by most accounts Thourogood would have a bigger impact as a true freshman playing wide receiver or running the wildcat than Grady would.

Franklin has made it clear that the ball's in Thourogood's court when it comes to playing other positions. He gave him his word that Lafonte would have a legitimate shot at quarterback, which is going to take longer than a preseason camp and will require his total concentration. But Franklin's also said that Lafonte's too good an athlete to keep off the field.

Which leaves us these options:

1. Thourogood redshirts. He's missed most of preseason camp and hasn't had time to learn the ropes at quarterback. You let him and Grady redshirt and compete against each other in practice, Grady getting some reps with the second and third teams and Thourogood running the scout team. Then in spring practice you have a showdown to determine who sticks at QB and who moves to another position.

2. Thourogood multi-tasks. He's getting healthy and getting adjusted to college life, but you go ahead and start working him into the game plan and figuring out how to get him some touches. If Rodgers and Smith are both injured, you preserve Grady's redshirt and play Thourogood, especially if it's late in the season and nothing's on the line.

3. Thourogood moves. Is there any doubt that Thourogood, a four-star receiver, would be playing against Elon if he weren't a quarterback? Everybody's fallen in love with the idea of Josh Grady as the future leader of the team, and he's surprised everybody with his arm strength, so who's to say Thourogood hasn't seen the writing on the wall and has already pulled the plug on his little experiment at quarterback?

I don't think we'll know for a while which option will be employed. Even if we see Thourogood enter the game at receiver tomorrow, we still won't know his future plans. Unfortunately, Thourogood isn't quite as transparent as Grady — or as chatty on the Internet.

How the addition of Wyoming transfer Austyn Carta-Samuels affects Vandy's future at quarterback

Quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels is coming to Vandy after all, and will be eligible to play next season as a junior. You may remember that he announced in the winter that he was leaving Wyoming, where he was the Mexico Bowl MVP and WAC Freshman of the Year as a true freshman but struggled as a sophomore.

The guess here is that we were holding out hopes we’d get a blue-chip freshman quarterback like Chad Voytik or Nathan Peterman, who ended up verbally committing to Pitt and Tennessee, respectively.

I like the move. It gives us another quarterback with big-game experience. If Larry Smith plays well, avoids injury and starts the entire season, then after he graduates we’ll have no returning players with any meaningful playing time.

And it gives James Franklin 18 months to find a top prep quarterback, while using his remaining scholarships for 2012 on other areas of weakness such as offensive line.

The competition at quarterback should be intense in the spring:

• Rodgers will either have the leg up or will be making one last-gasp attempt to get playing time, while Carta-Samuels will be in the same position Rodgers was last season, but with a better shot at being a two-year starter.

• Josh Grady and Lafonte Thourogood will be competing to see who stays at quarterback for another year and who changes positions.

• Kris Kentera will feel the least amount of pressure and will have at least another year to develop before a position change is considered.

Here are my predictions at what will happen:

2011
1. R-SR Larry Smith: Will start most of the season and perform admirably, with a few minor injuries and some bumps in the road.
2. FR Josh Grady: Will begin as the No. 3 quarterback, but will play against Elon, see some spot duty in short yardage situations, and will eventually overtake Rodgers for the backup position.
3. R-JR Jordan Rodgers: Will begin as the No. 2 quarterback, will spell Smith when he struggles but will eventually drop below Grady on the depth chart.
4. FR Lafonte Thourogood: Will concentrate on quarterback and will redshirt.
5. FR Kris Kentera: Will redshirt while he continues to develop as a passer.

2012
1. SO Josh Grady: Busy competing with Lafonte Thourogood in the spring and proving he deserves to stay at quarterback, starts the season at No. 2 but then passes Carta-Samuels when the Commodores hit the heart of the SEC schedule.
2. R-JR Austyn Carta-Samuels: Passes Rodgers in the spring and then wins a tight race over Grady in preseason camp, but loses the job to Grady by mid-season.
3. R-SR Jordan Rodgers: Goes into preseason camp in a three-way race with Grady and Carta-Samuels before dropping to No. 3 and seeing only spot duty during the season.
4. R-FR Lafonte Thourogood: Makes some nice strides as a quarterback in the spring but the emergence of Grady at quarterback motivates him to move to wide receiver, where he immediately challenges for a starting job.
5. R-FR Kris Kentera: Moves to No. 4 with the departure of Thourogood to receiver and continues to develop.

2013
1. JR Josh Grady: The clear No. 1 quarterback for the Commodores.
2. R-SR Austyn Carta-Samuels: Pushes Grady but finishes his career as a backup with a few starts on his record.
3. R-SO Kris Kentera: Continues to develop into a solid backup quarterback who pushes Carta-Samuels throughout the season for the No. 2 job.
4. FR Blue-chip TBA: Franklin lands a four-star quarterback, who redshirts and is immediately groomed to succeed Grady.

2014
1. SR Josh Grady: Remains Vandy’s starter for his senior year.
2. R-FR Blue-chip TBA: Beats out Kentera in preseason camp.
3. R-JR Kris Kentera: A solid option in the face of injury.
4. FR QB TBA: Redshirts.

UPDATED: How high can each Vanderbilt player go?

While everybody’s wondering who’s going to start, let’s take a look at the best that each player could do this season, position by position. This isn’t a prediction of how they’ll do. It’s just a look at each player’s ceiling, meaning the best we think he can possibly do this year.

QUARTERBACKS
• Full-time starter: R-SR Larry Smith
• Part-time starters: FR Josh Grady and R-JR Jordan Rodgers
• Role players in certain situations: FR Kris Kentera and FR Lafonte Thourogood
• Mop-up duty: R-SO John Townsley*, FR Taylor Hudson*
• Candidates to redshirt: Kentera and Thourogood

RUNNING BACKS
• Lower All-SEC teams: JR Warren Norman and FR Jerron Seymour
• Full-time starter: JR Zac Stacy
• Part-time starter: FR Mitchell Hester
• Role player in certain situations: R-JR Micah Powell

WIDE RECEIVERS
• Lower All-SEC teams: SO Jordan Matthews
• Full-time starters: SO Jonathan Krause and R-FR Chris Boyd
• Part-time starters: R-JR John Cole, R-SR Udom Umoh, FR Jacquese Kirk, R-SO Wesley Tate and FR Lafonte Thourogood (if he moved from quarterback, which hasn't happened)
• Playing rotation in big games: R-JR Akeem Dunham, R-FR Trent Pruitt and R-SO Brady Brown
• Special teams only: R-JR Jamison Sackey*
• Mop-up duty: R-FR Daniel Hagaman* and FR Steve Monk*

TIGHT ENDS/FULLBACKS
• First team All-SEC: R-SR Brandon Barden
• Part-time starters: R-JR Austin Monahan, FR Dillon van der Wal
• Playing rotation in big games: SO Fitz Lassing, R-SO Mason Johnston, FR Steven Scheu
• Role player in certain situations: R-SO Marc Panu*
• Candidates to redshirt: Scheu and van der Wal

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
• Lower All-SEC teams: R-SO Wesley Johnson and R-JR Ryan Seymour
• Full-time starters: R-SR Kyle Fischer, R-JR Jabo Burrow, R-SO Mylon Brown and R-JR Josh Jelesky
• Part-time starters: SO Logan Stewart and R-JR Caleb Welchans
• Playing rotation in big games: R-FR Andrew Bridges, FR Spencer Pulley, FR Jake Bernstein and FR James Lewis
• Role players in certain situations: R-FR Grant Ramsay, R-FR Chase White, FR Joe Townsend and FR Jose Valedon
• Candidates to redshirt: Pulley, Bernstein, Lewis, Townsend and Valedon

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
• Full-time starters: R-SR T.J. Greenstone, R-JR Colt Nichter, R-JR Rob Lohr
• Part-time starters: SO Jared Morse and R-FR Vince Taylor
• Playing rotation in big games: FR Barron Dixon
• Role player in certain situations: R-JR Taylor Loftley, FR Conor Hart
• Candidates to redshirt: Dixon (maybe) and Hart (definitely)

DEFENSIVE ENDS
• Lower All-SEC teams: R-SR Tim Fugger
• Full-time starters: R-SO Walker May and R-FR Kyle Woestmann
• Part-time starter: R-JR Johnell Thomas
• Playing rotation in big games: FR Darien Bryant
• Role players in certain situations: R-JR Dexter Daniels, R-SO Thad McHaney, R-FR Thomas Ryan and FR Jimmy Stewart
• Candidates to redshirt: Bryant and Stewart

LINEBACKERS
• All-American: R-SR Chris Marve
• Full-time starters: R-JR Archibald Barnes, SO Chase Garnham, R-JR Tristan Strong
• Part-time starters: R-JR DeAndre Jones
• Role players in certain situations: R-FR Andrew East, R-FR Blake Gowder, R-JR Al Owens
• Special teams only: R-FR Robby Barbieri*
• Mop-up duty: R-JR Bobby Jewell*, FR Kellen Williams*

CORNERBACKS
• All-American: SR Casey Hayward
• Lower All-SEC teams: JR Trey Wilson
• Full-time starter: JR Eddie Foster
• Part-time starters: SO Andre Hal, SO Steven Clarke, FR Derek King
• Special teams only: SO Reggie Ford*
• Mop-up duty: SO Jarron Lewis*, SO Jarrett Wadler*, FR Scot Aiello*

SAFETIES
• Lower All-SEC teams: SR Sean Richardson and SO Kenny Ladler
• Part-time starters: JR Eric Samuels and SO Andre Simmons
• Playing rotation in big games: SO Karl Butler, R-SO Javon Marshall, FR Andrew Williamson, FR Larry Franklin and FR Jahmel McIntosh
• Mop-up duty: SO Nick Aguirre* and JR Patrick Sutton*
• Candidates to redshirt: Franklin and McIntosh

SPECIAL TEAMS
• Lower All-SEC teams: R-JR Richard Kent* (punter)
• Starters: R-JR Ryan Fowler (kicker), SO Carey Spear (kicker), R-FR Andrew East (snapper)
• Substitutes: FR Connor Morrison* (snapper), R-SO Eric Frieman* (kicker), FR Taylor Hudson* (punter)

*Walk-ons

James Franklin's not trying to be a standup comedian, but he is looking for playmakers

Just listened to a recording of James Franklin's interview last week with 104.5 in Nashville, from which we can learn a few things:

1. His goal is NOT to become a media darling this week in Birmingham. Remember the star of SEC Media Days last year? Yes, everybody fell in love with the homespun turkey inseminator, Robbie Caldwell, who was apparently thought he was on an episode of "Hee Haw."

2. The quarterback job is Larry Smith's to lose. Sure, everybody's excited about Jordan Rodgers and the workout video he made with his Super Bowl champion brother. But Franklin was quick to point out last week that he still hasn't seen Rodgers play, and until he does, he can't really compare him to Larry. He did say that he feels he has two QBs in Larry and Jordan who can compete in the SEC. Expect him to repeat this over and over again this week in Birmingham. He also said he's looking forward to developing the young quarterbacks.

3. Expect to see Josh Grady and Lafonte Thourogood play as true freshmen, but not necessarily as quarterbacks. Franklin didn't say this. But he did say that (1) the team has a shortage of offensive playmakers and (2) that the young quarterbacks need development. Jordan Matthews can be a big-time SEC receiver, he said, and he's working on ways to get the ball to Brandon Barden, whom he recruited while a Maryland assistant, but he still needs playmakers. While true freshman Jacquese Kirk is listed as a receiver and could be an immediate upgrade over John Cole and Udom Umoh, Thourogood is likely the best receiver prospect on the team, and Grady by all accounts is an electrifying ball carrier with a knack for getting himself out of jams. Both have apparently been promised a shot at QB, but in the meantime expect them to get their hands on the ball as receivers or in the wildcat.

4. Expect to see some defenders get a shot to play offense. Kirk's best position, at least in high school, was cornerback but his first stop on the Vandy practice field will be at wide receiver. Likewise, Dillon van der Wal was a sackmaster at defensive end in high school, but he's listed at tight end. Sure, we've already got Brandon Barden, but who can resist the idea of a 6-foot-7 kid jumping for the ball in the red zone? And while Darien Bryant is a long athlete capable of packing on pounds and playing all over the field, it appears he'll get his first shot at playing time either as a pass-catching tight end, H-back or wide receiver. Also, don't be surprised if defensive backs Derek King or Jahmel McIntosh gets some touches in practice. At 195 pounds, King is an SEC-ready cornerback who could be starting by season's end, but at the least he'll get some reps as a return man.

Thanks for checking up on me

Hey gang, thanks for continuing to visit and comment on MV! even though I haven't posted anything in a long time. The haiku was especially touching, and I'm not being sarcastic.

Yes, I am fine. This has been an especially busy spring. I've been busy with my day job as a newspaper editor, and also am teaching a couple of freshman composition classes at the local university and am actually enjoying it, and then three of my kids are on Little League baseball teams and the oldest is playing travel ball which is a strange world indeed. Oh, and I'm trying to teach my 15-year-old daughter to drive. And I'm trying to figure out an acceptable way to observe my 20th wedding anniversary, which is in less than a month.

Any advice is welcome.

Also, I haven't felt much urgency in regards to the Vandy football program. Usually at this time of year, I'm blogging about the 5-star recruits who are considering Vandy, as well as every Commodore player's odds of starring or starting or even just seeing the field next season.

But the arrival of James Franklin has changed all that. For one thing, Vandy fans on chat boards seem particularly excited about the 5-star players who've listed Vanderbilt as one of their top 20 schools. It's always been this way, folks, even before Coach Franklin. Bobby Johnson was a likable guy, and lots of superstar athletes during his tenure showed strong interest in Vandy, probably to send a signal to their mamas that they were serious about academics.

I'm no longer interested in which players say they might want to attend Vandy. There's two reasons for this: Lafonte Thourogood and Dillon van der Wal. Franklin hadn't even unpacked in Nashville when he stole these kids from Virginia Tech and Arizona State. He didn't ALMOST steal these kids, like BoJo had done so many times before. No, he actually did it. And these guys showed up on our commitment list out of the blue, and at the last minute.

So it really doesn't matter in May who says they love Vandy or another school or who says they're committing to Vandy or another school. It ain't over until they fax in their John Hancocks in February. Yeah, we were looking for moral victories in recruiting because we wanted to feel good about something. But we just had our best recruiting class in recent memory from a coach hired only a month or two, and so I'm gonna just sit back and watch who he signs next February and in the meantime I'm not going to worry about who's got VU in his top 20. You can only attend one school at a time. (Even if you're Cam Newton.)

Also, I don't want to speculate about who's going to play and who's not because I think the freshmen really are going to get a shot to play, especially at the skill positions.

Larry Smith looked like the starter in the spring and Jordan Rodgers still hasn't gotten the reps he needed. But if we don't win (and it could happen — Lou Holtz went winless in his first season at South Carolina and Nick Saban lost to UAB in his first season at LSU and to a directional Louisiana college in his first season at Bama) then expect to see Franklin toss the keys to Lafonte or Josh Grady.

Other players who'll be tough to keep off the field include RB Jarod Seymour, WR/DB Jacquese Kirk, DB Derek King and safeties Larry Franklin and Jahmel McIntosh.

It'll also be interesting to see what Franklin does with what he calls his "jumbo athletes." Dillon van der Wal and Darien Bryant can both play tight end but won't be needed immediately because of seniors Barden and Monahan and depth in sophomores Mason Johnston and Fitz Lassing. So do you send them over to the D-Line? Van der Wal could be a beast at defensive end or even left tackle, but that would take a lot of training table meals. He could have an immediate impact as a target on offense. Remember Thomas Welch played some TE before converting to OT and getting drafted.

Like I say, it'll be interesting.

I'll have more later. Sorry to drop off the radar for so long. Thanks for checking up on me.

How recent Vanderbilt roster changes could affect the playing time of the true freshmen

Now that we know who's not returning next season and where certain versatile players will practice in the spring, we have a better idea where and how often the true freshmen may play when they finally arrive on campus. Let's take a look, position by position:

QUARTERBACK
Developments: SR Larry Smith gets crash course on real quarterbacking from coaches while JR Jordan Rodgers heals and SO Charlie Goro gets some reps.
Likely scenario: Smith starts season at QB with Rodgers nipping at his heals.
What it means for freshmen: Lafonte Thourogood named third string QB, gets on field as short-yardage QB and receiver. Josh Grady also auditions for offensive role but headed for redshirt. Kris Kentera’s a project and likely redshirt.

RUNNING BACK
Developments: JR Warren Norman’s still healing, JR Zac Stacy’s resting up and JR Eric Samuels has moved back to defense. That leaves SO Wesley Tate and JR Micah Powell all the carries in the spring.
Likely scenario: Norman and Stacy top the depth chart but can’t handle the SEC pounding by themselves. Tate better than Powell but still not the answer as an every-down back and is considered at receiver and linebacker.
What it means for freshmen: Coach Franklin swears Jerod Seymour’s an every-down back, something Vandy sorely needs. He’ll play early and often. Speedy Mitchell Hester redshirts if Norman and Stacy stay healthy and he’s not pressed into emergency duty at receiver.

WIDE RECEIVER
Developments: Franklin sees this as the team’s most glaring weakness. SOs Jonathan Krause and Jordan Matthews look like SEC wideouts and R-FR Chris Boyd also looks promising. But two returning starters, JR John Cole and SR Udom Umoh, still can’t separate from SEC defenders and the other guys – JR Akeem Dunham, SO Brady Brown and R-FR Trent Pruitt – are question marks.
Likely scenarios: Krause, Matthews and Boyd will continue to improve and Cole will likely still see time in the slot. But expect the coaching staff to look everywhere – including at running back, tight end and backup quarterback – for receiving help.
What it means for freshmen: Jacquese Kirk listed as WR/DB, but with a weak receiving corps and a strong secondary, he’ll get a long hard look at receiver the minute he steps on campus. And DB Jahmel McIntosh, a strong, athletic kid, could also get a look here, as could RB Mitchell Hester. If Thourogood wasn't promised a shot at quarterback, he could easily crack the starting lineup at receiver, and don't be surprised to see him take a break from his signal-calling tutorials to line up at receiver. Grady would also be a nice option here.

TIGHT END
Developments: SR Brandon Barden’s poised for big season, JR Austin Monahan’s granted another year of eligibility and SO Mason Johnston returns from injury, sending SO Fitz Lassing to fullback and R-FR Blake Gowder to linebacker.
Likely scenario: Monahan joins Barden as a major target and Johnston concentrates on blocking.
What it means for freshmen: Considering Barden’s graduating and Monahan’s colorful medical history, Vandy needs to develop a big tight end fast, meaning 6-foot-7 Dillon van der Wal, who’s been mentioned as everything from O-line to D-end, will likely play right away and become a weapon at TE. Steven Scheu redshirts and makes a splash next year, and Darien Bryant moves to defense.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Developments: SO Justin Cabbagestalk’s knee ends his career before it begins, SO James Kittredge leaves school and R-FR Grant Ramsay still battles injury.
Likely scenario: Vandy’s top six linemen – SR Kyle Fischer; JRs Ryan Seymour, Jabo Burrow and Caleb Welchans; and SOs Wesley Johnson and Logan Stewart – keep their jobs and keep improving, but team needs to develop depth fast. SO Mylon Brown and FRs Andrew Bridges and Chase White get tons of attention in spring.
What it means for freshmen: Joe Townsend, listed on signing day as OL/DL, moves to offense and spends a redshirt year learning to play guard. Tackle James Lewis and guard Jake Bernstein best options to play this year, but ideally will take a redshirt to develop. Jose Valedon already penciled in as backup center but needs weight; expect him to redshirt and Burrow to back up Stewart at center. Spencer Pulley redshirts.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Developments: SR T.J. Greenstone recovered from injury and will be mainstay. JR Rob Lohr, a 12-game emergency starter, gets challenge from SO Jared Morse, R-FR Vince Taylor and JR Colt Nichter. JRs Taylor Loftley and Josh Jelesky provide depth.
Likely scenario: These guys are solid but not exceptional by SEC standards. Expect Taylor to jump up the chart in spring.
What it means for freshmen: Barron Dixon, listed as an end, is as big as Vandy’s other DTs at 280 pounds and growing. Team badly needs more athletes on line and Dixon will get a shot. If he’s a quick learner, he could crack the two-deep by season’s end.

DEFENSIVE END
Developments: SR Tim Fugger’s being touted as all-star candidate (that’s a stretch), SOs Walker May and Thad McHaney return from injury and JR Johnell Thomas remains a workhorse. R-FRs Kyle Woestmann and Thomas Ryan are fine prospects and will get a shot in spring.
Likely scenario: Pretty cloudy. Fugger’s got wheels but doesn’t strike fear in opponents while May looked sharp before injury. All these guys lack ideal heft to be SEC ends. Expect coaches to try anything and keep recruiting the biggest and best athletes they can find here.
What it means for freshmen: Connor Hart’s not a better prospect than Woestmann and Ryan were last year, and Jimmy Stewart and Darien Bryant are awfully light and could begin their careers at linebacker. That leaves the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Dixon, who’s the size of an SEC end. Expect him to get a shot inside and outside on the D-line.

LINEBACKER
Developments: SR Chris Marve of course a mainstay and the leader of entire team. JR Archibald Barnes a nice athlete but still learning, JRs Tristan Strong and DeAndre Jones struggle with injury and SO Chase Garnham mainly played special teams last year. JR Dexter Daniels still a possibility, SO Blake Southerland still developing, and R-FR Blake Gowder just moved over from tight end.
Likely scenario: Expect Barnes, Strong, Jones and Garnham to join Marve in a five-man rotation. The other guys are still catching on, and coaches may start pilfering a strong safety corps for LB candidates.
What it means for freshmen: The four junior linebackers aren’t where we expected them to be at this point in their careers. Coaches will look for a quick spark from either Jimmy Stewart or Darien Bryant, each perhaps best suited for end but too light.

CORNERBACK
Developments: SR Casey Hayward’s an all-star candidate, JR Eddie Foster started every game, JR Trey Wilson and SO Andre Hal have starting experience, SO Steven Clarke is battle-tested and JR Eric Samuels has returned after an emergency stint on offense. SO Javon Marshall’s moved to safety.
Likely scenario: All six shine in spring and preseason and make it awfully tough for coaches to decide who to play. Look for Hayward, Foster, Hal and Samuels to get the bulk of the action, with Clarke and Wilson also key performers.
What it means for freshmen: Derrick King is a special talent and will have the opportunity to learn the ropes; expect him to cut his teeth on special teams and excel when needed at corner like Hayward did as a true freshmen. Jacquese Kirk will likely begin his career on offense and will likely stay there.

SAFETY
Developments: SR Sean Richardson’s an all-star candidate at strong safety, while SO Kenny Ladler returns at free, and SOs Andre Simmons and Karl Butler are fine prospects. Jay Fullam has transferred to the Air Force Academy, and SO Javon Marshall has moved over from corner.
Likely scenario: Richardson and Ladler defend their starting jobs, Marshall serves as a backup, and Simmons and Butler turn heads in practice and make a case for either more playing time or a move to outside linebacker.
What it means for freshmen: Larry Franklin has the best chance to play right away, and is another guy who could eventually land at OLB. Andrew Williamson is a raw prospect and may redshirt, while Jahmel McIntosh could be a natural safety or even outside linebacker but may be pushed into service at receiver or see a redshirt.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Developments: JR walk-on Richard Kent’s being touted as an all-star candidate at punter, while SO Carey Spear continues to kick off and will challenge two-year starter JR Ryan Fowler for placekicking duties. R-FR Andrew East isn’t listed at linebacker anymore and will likely concentrate on longsnapping.
Likely scenario: Spear could supplant Fowler; Kent’s the team’s only apparent option at punter. East is the snapper. A ton of athletes on both sides of the ball can return kicks and punts.
What it means for freshmen: RB Mitchell Hester and CB Derrick King could start as returners.

That's my best guess. What do you think?

So which Vandy freshmen should have been redshirted last season?

Vandy burned the redshirts off 13 players last season. That wouldn’t be a big number at some schools, but it is at Vandy, which last season had only four upperclassmen (seniors John Stokes and Theron Kadri and juniors Casey Hayward and Sean Richardson) who’d avoided redshirts.

Of course, the staff was trying to save their jobs. And granted, those 13 freshmen were pretty good. But should they have played? Here’s our take:

SHOULD HAVE PLAYED

• FS Kenny Ladler: Played in all 12 games and started nine; had 57 total tackles, including 5.5 for a loss; had an interception against Tennessee; named to the coaches’ freshman all-SEC team.
• WR Jonathan Krause: Started 10 games, finishing third in receptions (24) and receiving yards (243); also scored two rushing touchdowns on six carries.
• CB Andre Hal: Played in all 12 games and started against Florida and Wake Forest; had 13 total tackles, including seven against Florida; returned 11 kickoffs for a 23.6 yard average, and had two returns for 58 yards against Florida
• C Logan Stewart: Played in team’s last eight games, starting six of them; took over after senior captain Joey Bailey was injured and then didn’t relinquish the job when Bailey recovered.
• WR Jordan Matthews: Played in all 12 games, getting one start; scored a touchdown in each of Vandy’s last four games; had seven catches for 74 yards in the finale against Wake Forest
• CB Steven Clarke: Played in 11 games; had 16 total tackles, including eight against South Carolina, and a sack against Arkansas

As bad as Vandy was last season, imagine the receiving corps without Krause and Matthews, the offensive line without Stewart, and the secondary without Ladler, Hal and Clarke. All those guys should have played.

THE JURY’S OUT

• PK Carey Spear: Served as team’s kickoff specialist; 40 percent of his kicks were unreturned, and he limited opposing teams to a 20.7 yard average on kick returns; had a couple of tackles in coverage
• DT Jared Morse: Played in eight games, finishing with seven tackles; burned redshirt after Smotherman and Greenstone were injured

Sure, Spear was a superior kickoff guy to Fowler, but did we really need two kickers last year? Next time, let’s don’t sign a kicker who can’t handle kickoffs. And while Morse was a solid backup last season, didn’t we play three D-tackles (Billinger, Smotherman and Greenstone) during the Music City Bowl season? After we lost Smo and Greenstone to injury, we still had Lohr, Nichter, Loftley and Jelesky, who granted is awfully light to be playing tackle.

SHOULD NOT HAVE PLAYED

• S Karl Butler: Played every game on special teams; had three total tackles and an interception and 33-yard return against Florida
• LB Chase Garnham: Played in 12 games, mostly on special teams; had eight total tackles
• OL/DL James Kittredge: No notes with his new profile, but I think he played in just a couple of games
• TE Fitz Lassing: Played in 10 games, mostly on special teams, and also lined up at tight end after injuries piled up at that position; had a 3-yard catch against Wake Forest
• S Andre Simmons: Played in 10 games, primarily on special teams, and finished with four tackles.

We burned the redshirts off four guys – Butler, Garnham, Lassing and Simmons – so they could play mainly special teams and record a total of 15 tackles. Sure, Butler had a nice pick against Florida in mop-up duty, but was it worth losing a year of eligibility? Lassing’s 3-yard catch against Wake Forest sure wasn’t. As weak as our outside backers were, we’d be applauding the decision to play Garnham if he’d actually seen substantial time there, but instead he played primarily on special teams.

As for Kittredge, we’ll give the coaching staff the benefit of the doubt. He was impressive in practice after moving to offensive line but had a less-than-memorable showing at center after Bailey was injured, which paved the way for Stewart, who grabbed the starting job and will probably keep it for the next three years. That’s how it works: A guy gets a chance and struggles and gets pulled from the game so the next guy gets a chance and he shines and he never leaves the lineup.

It could have been a whole lot worse. If Vince Taylor hadn’t hurt his hand in the preseason, he’d have played too. Now we’ve got three solid defensive linemen – Taylor, Thomas Ryan and Kyle Woestmann – who’ve got four years of eligibility left.

And if Krause and Matthews hadn’t proven to be SEC-caliber receivers, we may have burned the redshirts off Chris Boyd and Trent Pruitt trying to find somebody who could catch the ball. And if Blake Gowder hadn’t injured his shoulder, he’d have probably lined up at tight end after Mason Johnston got hurt.

Grant Ramsay would have likely played if he hadn’t injured his knee, and Chase White was queued up and ready to go if another O-lineman had gone down. Oh, and Jordan Rodgers might have burned up his redshirt if he hadn’t hurt his shoulder.

Not saying we’re glad guys got hurt so they would be redshirted, but if Jordan Rodgers rebounds and becomes our leader, won’t we be glad we didn’t waste one of his two years of eligibility on last year’s crappy season?

You’re probably thinking about Franklin’s so-called philosophy about not redshirting freshmen. I’ll remind you that the stud freshman quarterback he had at Maryland this past season – and who helped him get the Vandy job – was a redshirt. What Franklin means is, when you sign with Vanderbilt you’d best show up to campus ready to play right away. He’s not going to say on national signing day that he expects to redshirt this and that kid. Bobby Johnson used to do that. Remember, he was going to redshirt Warren Norman.

Is Franklin going to burn the redshirts off all three freshmen quarterbacks? No way. Is he going to burn the redshirts off two safeties, a linebacker and a tight end so they can all play special teams? That remains to be seen, but I hope not. We’ve got enough young talent to fill the roster on special teams without burning any redshirts to do it.

I think Franklin is going to be surprised at the general quality of the talent he’s inherited. Definitely something to build on.

Vanderbilt is now five football scholarships over the limit — so who's not returning?

You do the math: We've got 69 players with eligibility remaining who weren't recognized on senior day. (That's assuming that walk-on punter Richard Kent doesn't have a scholarship.) And we just signed 21 players to letters of intent.

Hmmm. 69 + 21 = 90

And as you probably know, the limit is 85. So which five players aren't returning to the team?

You have to look first at redshirt seniors. The list was culled down on senior day, with Tray Herndon and Ryan van Rensburg, neither of whom would be competing to start in 2011, both being honored and therefore announcing the end of their careers as Commodores.

Of the 11 left, every one has starting experience. But I keep hearing that Jamie Graham won't be returning for a fifth year. Also, you have to wonder if Austin Monahan is really going to return from a third season-ending injury.

Next, you have to look at who hasn't been getting playing time. Of the juniors, safety Al Owens played the least last season and has virtually no hope of cracking the depth chart with all our young talent at safety. Micah Powell's experiment at linebacker wasn't a rousing success and for now he's a stand-in running back. Akeem Dunham, Taylor Loftley and Josh Jelesky probably haven't improved their chances at playing time either.

But unless they decide to transfer to an FCS school like Alan Strong did three years ago, they'll probably want to stick around and pick up their free Vanderbilt diploma.

That leaves us with underclassmen who haven't cracked the depth chart and feel like they could transfer to an FCS school or even a mid-major and get some playing time. That list has got to include Charlie Goro, who hasn't played a snap in two years and now is facing additional competition from three of Franklin's hand-picked freshmen quarterbacks. I'll be shocked if Goro ever plays for Vandy.

Then there's Brady Brown, a big possession receiver who didn't play at all last season and now faces competition from redshirts Chris Boyd and Trent Pruitt, three true freshmen tight ends who can double as possession receivers (van der Wal, Scheu and Bryant), and a bunch of athletes (Thorougood, King, McIntosh, Kirk, Hester, Grady, etc.) who could also lineup at receiver.

And Thad McHaney, who had offers from places like Auburn and Oklahoma, played in less than half our games. But it takes a while for defensive ends to develop, and true freshmen like Hart and Stewart are probably going to need a redshirt before they're ready to go.

Sure, Franklin says he doesn't believe in redshirts; what's he going to say on signing day, we signed these guys to sit? But a 200-pound defensive end won't cut it in SEC play, and I'm sure he knows that.

Also, Justin Cabbagestalk missed last season with a knee injury and now finds himself behind about a dozen young linemen. And Javon Marshall is at the bottom of a depth chart loaded with slick young athletes at corner and safety. Maybe those guys take their games elsewhere.

The other factor, of course, is academics. I don't have everybody's transcript so I'm not going to try to predict that.

But I will make a prediction as to which five players won't return. I think all those redshirt juniors who don't play much will return, provided they qualify academically. They just won't be playing at Vandy as redshirt seniors. I think Graham and Monahan will go ahead and start the next chapter of their lives. I also think that Goro and Brady Brown, both of whom have been rumored to leave for more than a year, may bolt. That leaves us with one. Let's say Cabbagestalk.

I'm not saying these kids aren't talented and shouldn't be playing for Vanderbilt. In the case of Graham and Monahan, they could have made All-SEC if they'd been healthy. I seriously doubt I'll be right on all five. But these are all candidates.