Why Clark Lea believes he has the best offensive line of his tenure in 2025

As Vanderbilt’s fanbase stormed the field in the moments following its win over No. 1 Alabama, they flocked to Diego Pavia and the offensive skill players. Perhaps more people should’ve made their first run at Vanderbilt’s offensive linemen, though. 

Vanderbilt’s offensive line didn’t just skate by the day, it won the battle up front with Alabama. It was a catalyst in Vanderbilt dominating the time of possession in that game and it ultimately finding a way to pull off the biggest win in program history. If only that group played that way the whole way. 

The Vanderbilt line was vastly improved from its group the season prior, but it left enough to be desired down the stretch for Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea and general manager Barton Simmons to put addressing it at the top of their offseason to-do list. 

Vanderbilt invested heavily financially in its front five this offseason and added six transfers to the room that will all be in the mix to see the field. The group hasn’t taken an in-game rep yet, but Lea isn’t shy about making declarations as to what they’re capable of and how much of an effect that will have. 

“This will be the best line we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Lea told Vandy on SI. “You can’t win in the SEC unless you can win up front.” 

Vanderbilt has learned that the hard way at times throughout Lea’s tenure as deep defensive line rooms with future NFL players have often worn down Vanderbilt’s unit and have therefore stalled its offense. Lea looks back on his 2024 group as one that often didn’t hold defensive lineman off long enough for Pavia to connect on the deep shots that Vanderbilt needed him to hit on. He also believes that it wasn’t good enough in the run game and limited Vanderbilt’s ability to move the ball on the ground outside of an occasional broken play from Pavia. 

Perhaps this group–defined by the additions of Liberty center Jordan White, South Dakota tackle Bryce Henderson and Oklahoma State transfer Isaia Glass–is good enough to give Pavia more time and Vanderbilt running backs Sedrick Alexander and Mahkylin Young more room before initial contact is made. White is regarded by evaluators as a potential future pro, while Henderson is the highest graded returning offensive tackle in the SEC and Glass is as physically imposing of a force as Vanderbilt has had in recent memory. 

Vanderbilt hopes that its more physical group–that also appears to have a few solid depth pieces in returning swingmen Kevo Wesley and Cade McConnell–can stand the test of time and a physical season. Vanderbilt is 3-13 in November games in Lea’s tenure and could alleviate some of its struggles if it’s better up front. 

“I think winning in November is all about how you play on both sides of the ball,” Lea said. “Line of scrimmage play is critical and in the SEC I think it’s the most important aspect. Creating depth on both sides is essential, sustaining depth through the season and obviously both sides delivering performance will be really important to us reaching our future goals.”