# 2019 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

The 2019 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Commodores played their home games at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by sixth-year head coach Derek Mason.

## Recruiting
### Position key

| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB |
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E |
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K |
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB |
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB |
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |

### Recruits

College recruiting information (2019) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Anfernee Orji S | Rockwall, TX | Rockwall | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jul 3, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Dontye Carriere-Williams CB | Miami, FL | Independence C.C. | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Dec 18, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Daevion Davis DT | Madison, AL | James Clemens | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | Jun 27, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Devin Boddie ATH | Memphis, TN | Whitehaven | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Jun 27, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jayden Harrison WR | Nashville, TN | Pearl Cohn | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | Jun 30, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Keyon Brooks RB | Acworth, GA | Kennesaw Mountain | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brayden Bapst OT | Washington, DC | St. John's College HS | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 246 lb (112 kg) | Nov 6, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Christian James DE | Memphis, TN | Christian Brothers | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Jun 18, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Justin Harris S | Attalla, AL | Etowah | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 24, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Joel DeCoursey TE | Zionsville, IN | Zionsville | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Feb 28, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jamil Muhammad ATH | Madison, AL | James Clemens | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | Jun 21, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Donald Fitzgerald OT | Nashville, TN | Hillsboro | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Dec 10, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jaylen Mahoney CB | Rock Hill, SC | South Pointe | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 3, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Julian Hernandez OG | Fort Lauderdale, FL | St. Thomas Aquinas | 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m) | 294 lb (133 kg) | Sep 5, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| JR Tran-Reno ATH | Birmingham, AL | Briarwood Christian | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 26, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Justin Ball TE | Washington, DC | Gonzaga | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Jun 23, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Gabriel Jeudy CB | Charlotte, NC | Ardrey Kell | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | Sep 9, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brandon Maddox DT | North Augusta, SC | Pima C.C. | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Dec 15, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Nate Clifton OT | Brentwood, TN | Brentwood Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | Dec 17, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jared Wheatley P | Indian Trail, NC | Porter Ridge | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 4, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Preseason
### SEC media poll

The 2019 SEC Media Days were held July 15–18 in Birmingham, Alabama. In the preseason media poll, Vanderbilt was projected to finish in last in the East Division.
Media poll (East Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Georgia | 1789 (233) |
| 2 | Florida | 1499 (21) |
| 3 | Missouri | 1149 (3) |
| 4 | South Carolina | 883 (1) |
| 5 | Tennessee | 804 (1) |
| 6 | Kentucky | 798 (1) |
| 7 | Vanderbilt | 358 |

### Preseason All-SEC teams

The Commodores had three players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 3 Georgia | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN (rivalry / SEC Nation) | ESPN | L 6–30 | 40,350 |
| September 7 | 11:00 a.m. | at Purdue* | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | L 24–42 | 50,506 |
| September 21 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 4 LSU | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECN | L 38–66 | 32,048 |
| September 28 | 11:00 a.m. | Northern Illinois* | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECN | W 24–18 | 24,519 |
| October 5 | 6:30 p.m. | at Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS (rivalry) | SECN | L 6–31 | 47,601 |
| October 12 | 3:00 p.m. | UNLV* | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECN | L 10–34 | 20,048 |
| October 19 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 22 Missouri | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECN | W 21–14 | 23,900 |
| November 2 | 6:30 p.m. | at South Carolina | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | L 7–24 | 71,945 |
| November 9 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 10 Florida | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | ESPN | L 0–56 | 86,201 |
| November 16 | 2:30 p.m. | Kentucky | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN (rivalry) | SECN | L 14–38 | 23,288 |
| November 23 | 2:30 p.m. | East Tennessee State* | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECN Alt. | W 38–0 | 19,863 |
| November 30 | 3:00 p.m. | at Tennessee | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | SECN | L 10–28 | 87,367 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Week 1: vs. #3 Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #3 Georgia | 14 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
| Vanderbilt | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: August 31, 2019
* Game time: 7:30 pm
* Game attendance: 40,350
* TV announcers (ESPN): Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic
* Recap, Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
UGA – Demetris Robinson 3-yard pass from Jake Fromm (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 11:01. #3 Georgia 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:59.
UGA – James Cook 18-yard run (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 0:56. #3 Georgia 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 5:34.
Second quarter
UGA – Brian Herrien 1-yard run (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 8:01. #3 Georgia 21–0. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 4:03.
VAN – Ryley Guay 26-yard field goal, 2:25. #3 Georgia 21–3. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:36.
VAN – Ryley Guay 46-yard field goal, 0:04. #3 Georgia 21–6. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 1:06.
Third quarter
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 50-yard field goal, 7:48. #3 Georgia 24–6. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 5:23.
Fourth quarter
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 37-yard field goal, 7:20. #3 Georgia 27–6. Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 2:21.
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 31-yard field goal, 2:13. #3 Georgia 30–6. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 3:23.
Top passers
UGA – Jake Fromm – 15/23, 156 yards, TD
VAN – Riley Neal – 14/25, 85 yards
Top rushers
UGA – D'Andre Swift – 16 rushes, 147 yards
VAN – Ke'Shawn Vaughn – 15 rushes, 74 yards
Top receivers
UGA – Lawrence Cager – 2 receptions, 41 yards
VAN – Ke'Shawn Vaughn – 3 receptions, 24 yards :

### At Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Commodores | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |

### LSU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Tigers | 28 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 66 |
| Commodores | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 18 |
| Commodores | 14 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 24 |

### At Ole Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Commodores | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Rebels | 10 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 31 |

### UNLV

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 7 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 34 |
| Commodores | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |

### Missouri

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Tigers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Commodores | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### At South Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Commodores | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Gamecocks | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |

### At Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Commodores | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 10 Gators | 0 | 14 | 28 | 14 | 56 |

### Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 3 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
| Commodores | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |

### East Tennessee State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Commodores | 7 | 7 | 17 | 7 | 38 |

### At Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Commodores | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Volunteers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 3 | 76 | Ke'Shawn Vaughn | RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |