Coach Caldwell Giving Resurgence To Vandy Football

It was tough and shocking to see Bobby Johnson retire in mid-July. It left a football program that already has so much ground to make up on the rest of the SEC to make up even more ground.

In came Robbie Caldwell, who was the offensive line coach. Many people compare his charm and personality to Bobby Bowden.

The Vandy players have instantly fallen in love with Caldwell as their coach, and the media likes him as well.

Something as simple as his personality may seem like it doesn't mean anything, but it actually means a lot to recruiting. Those results are already starting to show as Vanderbilt has recently received verbal commitments from a few promising prospects at the quarterback position and fittingly at offensive line.

It's always been tough for Vanderbilt coaches to recruit in SEC country with their strict academic standards and their history of being the doormat of the SEC. A guy with Caldwell's southern charm can go a long way for a program that struggles to keep pace in recruiting in the SEC.

Just to give you a taste of Caldwell's track record in recruiting, he recruited both Torry Holt and Earl Bennett, among other talented players.

As much as Bobby Johnson will be missed by Vandy players and fans alike, Caldwell's hire could be a blessing in disguise.

Bobby Johnson Steps Down After Eight Tough Seasons

At first I wasn't sure how to feel when I heard that Bobby Johnson was stepping down from coaching less than two months before the season starts against Northwestern.

It's a tough position that Vandy now finds itself in, if it wasn't already hard enough.

The timing is horrible, but the reason is not. According to Johnson himself, he decided to call it quits because "football isn't life, it's a way of life". Amen to that. He has his priorities straight. I just wish he would've done this a lot sooner.

However, you can't condemn the man too much. It's tough thing to do leaving what he calls his way of life. He probably second guessed himself a few times before finally coming to grips with what he had to do.

He also went on to say that he would basically feel terrible if he was asked if he was doing the best he can just to leave in December.

At first glance Johnson's coaching slate at Vanderbilt looks terrible and people who don't follow Vanderbilt probably don't understand why people may be upset about this.

Let me just say this. Coaching at Vanderbilt is an uphill battle from day one because you're coaching at a school where athletics is a distant second to academics. In fact, Vanderbilt doesn't even have an athletics department technically.

Despite Johnson had Vanderbilt competing week in and week out. You can't expect a coach to just walk into Vanderbilt and make them an SEC champion. It's almost impossible.

Johnson did the best he could with the talent he had and did so much with so little. You put Johnson as the coach at a bigger program and I guarantee you he has success.

The team has been handed down to interim coach Robbie Caldwell will take over and get a chance to win the job.

But there are rumors swirling around the Phillip Fulmer and even Tommy Bowden will hear talks from Vanderbilt for the job. If a big named coach gets the job at Vanderbilt then recruiting could get a lot better for a school that has little to draw the top football prospects.

Those possible coaching replacements leave a shred of hope left for Vandy fans.

Vandy's Top Recruit Murdered at Georgia Home

Sad news is coming out of Powder Springs, Georgia today as Vanderbilt's 4-star recruit Rajaan Bennett was the victim of a murder-suicide in his own home.

I can't even begin to express how badly I feel for everyone involved in this gruesome situation. It just reminds me how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away.

In the grand scheme of things, sports are secondary to way more important things in life, like friends and family.

Bennett had just signed with one of the most prestigious schools in the country to play football for a program that is gradually on the rise. He was going to be the face of Vanderbilt football very quickly.

"Rajaan was an extraordinary young man and an ideal fit for Vanderbilt University," head coach Bobby Johnson said. "As we got to know Rajaan, it became very clear to our coaches that he was a better person than he was an athlete. He was a leader, a young man who gained the respect of the entire community at McEachern High School."

The key part in that statement is he was a better person than he was an athlete. That's no surprise to me considering Vanderbilt doesn't just recruit athletes based on what they can do on the football field.

There's no doubt in my mind that this young man was going to be a star in more ways than one in this world. He was going to Vanderbilt University, which is more than a lot of people can say in this world.

My heart truly hurts for his family right now and my prayers go out to them.

Signing Jordan Rodgers Tops Off Great Recruiting Class for the Commodores

Vandy may be coming over a horrible 2-10 season, but that didn't sway junior college transfer Jordan Rodgers from attending one of the most prestigious schools in the Southeast.

If Rodgers has anywhere close to the talent that his older brother, and Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers has then the Commodores have an excellent shot at another bowl berth in the upcoming season.

Jordan Rodgers has a great frame for a quarterback as he stands at 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 210 pounds. He was given a three-star rating by Rivals.com, which isn't bad at all for a program with such strict academic standards.

This is a huge signing for more ways than one, but the primary reason is because the rest of the SEC also had great signing days and Vanderbilt has to at least partially keep pace.

Current starting quarterback Larry Smith should definitely be prepared to fight for his starting position because Rodgers brings an impressive resume with him from Butte Community College in California.

Rodgers broke single-season records at Butte Community College, which is very impressive considering Aaron Rodgers also attended Butte Community College before attending the University of California.

Now you may be wary of a guy who is transferring from a junior college, but let me remind you why he chose this path. He wasn't arrogant at all when left high school despite obviously coming from a great gene pool. Instead he realized that his body and his skills still had a lot of improving to do before he was ready to play for an FBS school.

I'm sure Vanderbilt will gladly take the improved product over the one that needs a lot of work.

This guy seems like he has the right head on his shoulders. He said that one reason he chose Vanderbilt was getting an opportunity to play in the SEC, which offers the best competition to an offensive player.

He also cited the great academic standards for why he chose Vanderbilt. That tells me he's got his head in the right place.

It also didn't hurt that Jay Cutler put in a good word for his alma mater to Rodgers.

There were other offers on the table for Rodgers with the biggest one being from Kansas, and yet he was turned down after the Kansas coaching change. Hopefully it'll be their loss and Vandy's gain.

There's definitely no denying that Vanderbilt is growing into a school that shouldn't just be respected for its academics, but also for its athletic programs as well.

MSU Game a Crucial One for Vandy

The week 2 loss to LSU down in the bayou brought back painful memories of the old Vandebilt I use to know. The one that would put itself in position to win only to hand the game back to the heavily favored opponent.

That's what happened last week as the Commodores were only trailing by seven late in the game.

Quarterback Larry Smith had the Commodores driving against the No. 11 ranked team in the country. A nice pass on a crossing route to Alex Washington would've put the Commodores in good position to tie the game, but instead the ball grazed off Washington's hands and into an LSU defender's. That would ultimately seal the Commodores' sixth straight loss to the Tigers.

This loss also didn't come without a heavy price to pay in the injuries department. The biggest injury was to senior free safety Ryan Hamilton, who is also one of the defensive captains. Hamilton could be out the rest of the season but nothing is certain.

The Commodores have to be ready for a wounded Mississippi State team that is coming to town. The Bulldogs just got done getting their tails whipped at the hands of Auburn and they're going to be ready to play. No matter how ready they are the Commodores should win this game if they come in prepared and limit the dumb mistakes.

Since it's still early in the season I hate to say that a loss to Mississippi State could end the Commodores' hopes for another bowl bid, but I've seen the Commodores get off to slow starts before and it never ends well. To open the season 1-2 with the only win being against a FCS school would be a nightmare for a team that needs all the confidence in the world.

Even the great teams take tough losses from time to time. What separates the great teams from the average team is the great teams know how to bounce back from tough losses and get a big win.

If Vanderbilt can step up in a big way and defeat the Bulldogs this Saturday, that will prove to me that Vanderbilt has taken the next step towards being another solid team in the SEC.

Vandy Limping Through the Offseason

Vanderbilt's bright skies going into the 2009 season have gotten a little dimmer the past couple of weeks.

The first major setback was former Connecticut star wide receiver Terrence Jeffers being named ineligible due to academic reasons. Coach Bobby Johnson revealed this to the public about a week ago.

Reports say that some of Jeffers's college credits would not be accepted by Vanderbilt and that he would have to take other courses. Apparently, Jeffers was not willing to do the work in the classroom.

This is a huge blow to the very weak group of receivers that Vanderbilt has. Jeffers was going to provide good hands and nice size to a core of receivers that has less than 50 career reception collectively as a unit.

The Vandy receiving unit has already suffered one great blow that happened during spring drills when they lost Justin Wheeler to a knee injury. Wheeler's career at Vanderbilt is now over.

Another unfortunate injury occured to one of Vandy's strongest units, the defensive line.

Starting defensive end Steve Stone broke his right foot during practice and will now miss as much as six weeks. He'll probably miss at least the first three weeks of the regular season.

The Commodores will have to figure out a way to replace 42 tackles and five sacks from last season.

Injuries are part of the game and they happen a lot during these intense practices leading up to the opening game.

However, Vanderbilt has never been known as a deep team. A few more significant injuries, or losses in general, could send this hopeful team back to the SEC cellar that they have gotten so accustomed to over the past few decades.

2009 Projected Starting Offense

QB: Larry Smith
RB: Jared Hawkins
WR: John Cole
WR: Alex Washington
TE: Brandon Barden
OL: Reilly Lauer, Kyle Fischer, Bradley Vierling, Eric Hensley, Thomas Welch

Note: The entire offensive line has returning starters.