Vanderbilt Commodores football

History

Main article: History of Vanderbilt Commodores football

Vanderbilt adopted the nickname the Commodores after the 1897 season. 2025 marks the one hundred and thirty-sixth season for Vanderbilt football, the team has played in 1,346 games with a record of 625–671–50 (.483). The Commodores play in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Vanderbilt has an all-time SEC record of 148–461–17 (.250). All conferences Vanderbilt has played in, SoCon, SIAA, and SEC total records are 295–499–32 (.377). The most wins in a single football season was nine, happening four times, the last being 2013. In 2025, the Commodores won 10 games in the regular season. Vanderbilt has had eight undefeated seasons, the last being 1944.

Head coaches

Main article: List of Vanderbilt Commodores head football coaches

Vanderbilt has had seven coaches who have led the Commodores to a postseason bowl appearance: Art Guepe, Steve Sloan, George MacIntyre, Bobby Johnson, James Franklin, Derek Mason, and Clark Lea. Four have led them to a conference championship: R. G. Acton, W. H. Watkins, James R. Henry, and Dan McGugin. McGugin is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 198 victories during his 30 years at Vanderbilt. He was awarded two National Championships retroactively by Clyde Berryman.

Of the 29 different head coaches who have led the Commodores, McGugin, Ray Morrison, Red Sanders, and Bill Edwards have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Vanderbilt is led by current head coach Clark Lea, who was hired on December 14, 2020.

Conference affiliations

Vanderbilt has been affiliated with the following conferences.

• Independent (1890–1891)
• SIAA (1892–1921)
• Southern Conference (1922–1932)
• Southeastern Conference (1933–present)

Championships

Conference championships

Vanderbilt has won 14 conference championships, with six shared and eight won outright.

† Co-champions

Unclaimed national championships

Vanderbilt has been awarded 6 national championships for the years 1906, 1910, 1911, 1918, 1921, and 1922. The school does not claim any of these national titles.

Undefeated seasons

Vanderbilt has had 8 undefeated seasons in the years 1890, 1897, 1904, 1910, 1921, 1922, 1943, and 1944.

Bowl games

Vanderbilt has been invited to ten bowl games, with the Commodores garnering a record of 5–4–1 in bowl games.

Rivalries

Georgia

Main article: Georgia–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Having started in 1893, the Georgia–Vanderbilt football series was played annually from 1968 to 2023. The two were divisional opponents in the SEC East from 1992 to 2023. The series, which rotates between Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia, stands with Georgia leading 61–20–2 through the 2023 season. Under the new SEC format, they are not scheduled to play each other again in the regular season until at least 2026.

Kentucky

Main article: Kentucky–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Having started in 1896, the Kentucky–Vanderbilt football series has been played annually since 1953. The two were divisional opponents in the SEC East. The series, which rotates between Nashville, Tennessee and Lexington, Kentucky, is led by Kentucky at 48–44–4 with the average score being Vanderbilt 17.2-Kentucky 16.9

Ole Miss

Main article: Ole Miss–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Ole Miss was Vanderbilt's cross-divisional rival in the SEC from 1992 to 2023.

Vanderbilt and Ole Miss have played 98 times since 1894. Ole Miss leads the series 56–40–2. The largest margin of victory was by 91 points won by Vanderbilt in 1915. Vanderbilt also holds the longest win streak in the series (18) from 1894 to 1938. Under the new SEC format, they are not scheduled to play again in the regular season until at least 2026.

Tennessee

Main article: Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Vanderbilt and Tennessee have played 117 times since 1892, Tennessee leads the series 79–33–5. When the rivalry first started Vanderbilt dominated by taking 19 of the first 24 with 3 ties. But from 1928 to 2022 however, Tennessee has dominated going 77–14–2 against Vanderbilt. The largest margin of victory for Vanderbilt was by 76 points in 1918 at Old Dudley Field in Nashville. (Vanderbilt 76, Tennessee 0) The largest defeat was 65 points in 1994 at Vanderbilt Stadium (Tennessee 65, Vanderbilt 0). The longest win streaks for Vanderbilt is (9) from 1901 to 1913. The longest win streak for Tennessee is 22, from 1983 to 2004.

Georgia Tech (dormant)

Main article: Georgia Tech–Vanderbilt football rivalry

The Commodores first met the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 1892 in Atlanta, Georgia with Vanderbilt winning 20–10. Since 1924, the winning team in the series has received a silver-plated cowbell with the year and final score of each game engraved on it. The trophy was created by Ed F. Cavaleri, who was described by the Atlanta Constitution as “a faithful Georgia Tech supporter though he did not attend the Jacket institution,” according to Georgia Tech's website. Cavaleri purchased a cowbell at an Atlanta hardware store to use as a noise-maker while on his way to a game in 1924. The Commodores defeated Georgia Tech 3–0, however another fan in attendance suggested that Cavaleri award the bell to the winning team. The tradition was born and Cavaleri attended every game between the two teams from 1924 to 1967. The cowbell has a gold plate screwed into each side, with “GEORGIA TECH-VANDERBILT FOOTBALL TROPHY” inscribed at the top. Three columns list the year of each game, Vanderbilt's points scored and Georgia Tech's points scored. The results of the games from 1924 to 1967 are engraved on one side; the results from 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2016 are on the other. Vanderbilt is 16–20-3 against Georgia Tech in 39 games. The Commodores won the most recent matchup 35–27 in the 2024 Birmingham Bowl.

Sewanee (historical)

Main article: Sewanee–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Vanderbilt and the Sewanee Tigers were both founding members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA), the Southern Conference, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). It is the oldest of Vanderbilt's rivalries; dating back to 1891 when Vanderbilt played its second football game. Vanderbilt leads the series 40–8–4. The largest margin of victory was in 1905 when Vanderbilt won 68–4. Usually played towards the end of the season on Thanksgiving Day, the two teams have not met again since 1944 and are unlikely to anytime soon as Sewanee plays in NCAA Division III.

Uniforms

Traditionally, Vanderbilt has featured differing designs of gold helmets, black jerseys, and gold or black pants at home, and gold helmets, white jerseys and gold, or white pants on the road. Meanwhile, the traditional alternate uniform saw gold helmets and jerseys matched with white pants.

The James Franklin (2011–2013), and Derek Mason (2014–2020) eras saw the introduction of several new combinations- including "blackout” (i.e. all black), and "whiteout" (i.e. all white) uniforms. The team's gold alternate jerseys were also re-designed with the addition of black shoulders and a more muted gold. Eventually, battleship gray was incorporated as well.

The Clark Lea (2021–Present) era has seen a return to traditional gold helmets (note: featuring a modernized “V” logo), black jerseys, and gold pants at home, and gold helmets, white jerseys, and gold (or white) pants on the road. More recently, Vanderbilt introduced new all white ("whiteout"), and all black ("blackout") uniforms for the 2024 season opening up the possibility of several different combinations.

Individual awards

College Football Hall of Fame

Vanderbilt Commodore football personnel have been inducted into the National Football Foundation's National College Football Hall of Fame.

Players

Coaches

All-Americans

Main article: List of Vanderbilt Commodores football All-Americans

Consensus All-American

Vanderbilt has had eight consensus All-Americans in its history. In 2016, Zach Cunningham became the first unanimous All-American in Vanderbilt's history.

Other national player awards

John Mackey Award

Presented to the top tight end.

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Presented to the top upperclass quarterback (junior or senior).

William V. Campbell Trophy

Presented to the top scholar-athlete across all of college football.

National coaching awards

Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award

Presented to the top FBS head coach, as determined by the Football Writers Association of America.

All-Southerns

Main article: List of Vanderbilt Commodores football All-Southerns

Conference recognition

Vanderbilt Commodores personnel, including coaches and players, have received recognition from the Southeastern Conference for their performances on the football field.

Most Valuable Player

Five Vanderbilt players have been awarded Most Valuable Player, with three of them being awarded over a six-year span to Commodores.

Offensive Player of the Year

Two Vanderbilt players have won Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Freshman of the Year

Two players have won Freshman of the Year while at Vanderbilt.

Newcomer of the Year

The SEC introduced its Newcomer of the Year award in 2024 to honor the conference's most outstanding non-freshman in his first year at an SEC school. A Vanderbilt player was this award's inaugural recipient.

Best Blocker

One Commodore has won Best Blocker, doing so twice.

Best Wide Receiver

Coach of the Year

Six Vanderbilt coaches have won Coach of the Year honors over the past century, with one having received the award in back-to-back seasons.

Future opponents

Conference opponents

From 1992 to 2023, Vanderbilt played in the East Division of the SEC and played each opponent in the division each year along with several teams from the West Division. The SEC expanded to 16 teams and eliminated its two divisions in 2024, causing a new scheduling format for the Commodores to play against the other members of the conference. Only the 2024 conference schedule was announced on June 14, 2023, while the conference considered a new format for the future. The 2025 conference schedule was announced on March 20, 2024, in which teams would play the same opponents in 2025 that they played in 2024, with sites changed for equal home and away competition over the course of the two seasons.

The conference schedule has been expanded to 9 games effective in 2026. Each team has three designated annual opponents, with the other 12 conference members alternating on and off the schedule, in groups of six, every two years. Also, each SEC member is required to schedule at least one power conference opponent out of conference each season.

2025 Conference Schedule

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of May 13, 2025 :No games are scheduled for the 2030 and 2031 seasons.

References

References

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