Three Quick Takes from Vanderbilt Football's Second Fall Camp Scrimmage

Nashville—Vanderbilt took the field on Saturday night for its second scrimmage of the fall while most of the players that took reps were second and third teamers. 

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea says the Commodores had a productive day of work with good “spirit” and came out of the night healthy, though. 

Here’s three takeaways on the scrimmage that waned deep into Saturday night.

Linus Zunk was the MVP of the day

Zunk hasn’t been out there a whole lot throughout camp due to injury, but he was as noticeable as anyone on Saturday.

The Vanderbilt pass rusher recorded 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery on Saturday and had a general sense of dominance throughout the scrimmage when he was on the field.

It felt as if Zunk was too good to be matched up with the offensive linemen that he was—which weren’t Vanderbilt’s primary guys—and that he has a chance to take a step forward if he’s healthy in 2025. 

Vanderbilt’s defense won the day decisively 

Zunk had one of his best practices in a Vanderbilt uniform on Saturday, but he was far from the only defensive lineman to wreak some havoc.

Vanderbilt’s backup quarterbacks didn’t seem to have much of a chance behind a Jordan White, Chase Mitchell, Isaia Glass and Bryce Henderson-less offensive line. 

The odds that a line with the personnel that Vanderbilt showcased on Saturday ever sees the field in game action is relatively low, but its depth could be a cause for concern if anything is to happen to its heavily invested in mainstays.

Vanderbilt didn’t have much to hang its hat on offensively and didn’t score a touchdown in live play until near the end of the scrimmage. That statement also needs the context that Vanderbilt's offense was without nearly all of its starters and didn't use the ones that did play as focal points during live periods. 

Don’t take too much from Saturday night 

Vanderbilt didn’t have much offensive personnel available and the last non game-prep scrimmage of the fall is often messy—as it was last year as it looked like Vanderbilt was heading towards another 2-10 season. It also had just two offensive starters available. 

Consider all that as you read about the general sloppiness and struggle that Vanderbilt went through on Saturday. 

It’s not necessarily time to panic, particularly when considering the stage of fall camp Vanderbilt is in. But it’s worth noting that it’s not always like this at this time.