Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee joined 102.5 The Game on both Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss her biggest move in year one as Vandy’s AD: hiring Notre Dame defensive coordinator and former Commodore Clark Lea as the new head football coach earlier this week.
“It’s very clear that he’s one of the top coordinators in the country, arguably the top coordinator in the country, for a reason,” Lee said Wednesday morning on Robby and Rexrode on 102.5 The Game.
“I was looking for someone that checked a lot of boxes,” Lee continued. “Even though we had great interest in this position, it was very much a niche hire because we were looking for a lot of things. There was only a small group, I think, that can fill a lot of things to move forward and provide what Commodore Nation needs. It was just very clear that Clark was that person.”
Lea and Lee were both Vanderbilt athletes near the turn of the century, playing football and basketball, respectively. While this was much more complex than one alum hiring another, the two similarly-surnamed Commodores have a similar appreciation for the past and ambition for the future.
“I love the fact that he’s not hamstrung by what Vanderbilt was, and that’s really important,” Candice Lee said. “While we appreciate many of the things that we’ve done, we’re talking about forging ahead and doing things that have not been done here before. It also needed to be someone who appreciated what we are, but flexible enough that we have gaps that need to be filled.”
About 20 hours prior to her Wednesday morning appearance, Lee addressed Vanderbilt’s 2021 football signing class Tuesday with Darren, Daunic & Chase on 102.5 The Game. Despite two full weeks without a coach and Lea’s hiring coming just before signing day, the recruits who committed to Derek Mason and his coaching staff are mostly holding firm.
“I think it says that Derek Mason and his staff did a great job identifying young people who want what we can offer,” Lee said on 102.5 The Game. “That was clear to me—I’m not surprised by that—but it was clear to me once I started calling our commitments when we made a coaching change.”
When Lee called the high school senior football players, it was actually the commits who sounded more like athletic directors.
“I was impressed… because they sounded like young professionals,” Lee said. “One young man started telling me, ‘These things happen in college athletics, but I’m ready to get to the SEC and I’m ready for the Vanderbilt degree.’ They spoke with such insight and wisdom and I think that speaks to the character of these kids. I laugh because I think we got two or three commitments after we made the coaching change, you hope that just speaks to the direction in which we’re going.”
Reactions around the college football world have been very positive to Lea’s hiring before he leads Notre Dame to the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff. He will be introduced virtually as Vandy’s head coach next week and take over full time once the Fighting Irish’s season ends.
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