Unpacking Vanderbilt football's transfer portal exodus after 2-10 season under Clark Lea

Vanderbilt football has seen a wave of attrition since its season ended two weeks ago. Several Commodores starters entered the transfer portal after the window opened Monday after coach Clark Lea led the team to a 2-10 finish.

There has been staff movement, too. Strength and conditioning coach Brandon Hourigan was fired, as was offensive coordinator Joey Lynch. Defensive coordinator Nick Howell was demoted to an on-field assistant, while defensive backs coach Dan Jackson was moved to an off-field role.

As of Friday, 18 players have put their name into the portal for the Commodores, and there are still three weeks left in the transfer window. The transfer portal is open until Jan. 2 for undergraduates, with an additional 15-day window in the spring. Graduate transfers can enter the portal at any time until the spring window closes.

Players who wish to declare for the NFL Draft have until Jan. 15 to do so, and it's also possible for players to medically retire, or for those who have graduated to forgo remaining eligibility.

Here's where Vanderbilt stands after the first week of the transfer window:

Only one quarterback left

All three of Vanderbilt's quarterbacks who attempted a pass − Ken Seals, AJ Swann and Walter Taylor − are in the transfer portal. Drew Dickey, who remains on the team, did appear in one game, but he did not attempt a pass. Vanderbilt also has walk-ons Hayden Moses and Brennan Storer.

Two quarterbacks are committed for 2024: Whit Muschamp and Jeremy St-Hilaire.

The Commodores have offered several quarterbacks in the transfer portal. Among those who have publicly announced offers are Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke and Buffalo quarterback Cole Snyder.

Half of Vanderbilt starters vs Tennessee won't return

Of the 22 players who started the season finale against Tennessee, 12 will not be on the team next year. Not all of those players are transferring. Jaylen Mahoney and Kane Patterson are out of eligibility, Julian Hernandez is retiring from football and Bradley Ashmore declared for the NFL Draft. But eight of those starters have since gone in the portal, including Swann and all three starting receivers (Will Sheppard, Jayden McGowan and London Humphreys), plus starting tight end Justin Ball.

Of the 10 starters from the Tennessee game who are staying as of Friday, six of them are defensive players. Though he didn't start a single game, the Commodores' most important player on defense, linebacker Langston Patterson, also announced that he would be returning.

That doesn't mean the defense has been spared. Linebacker Ethan Barr, defensive end Nate Clifton and safety De'Rickey Wright all entered the transfer portal. All three of those players were seniors or graduate students in 2023, and Clifton and Barr were team captains.

Of 18 players who have entered the portal from Vanderbilt so far, 12 were primarily offensive players. That doesn't include Daveon Walker, who switched from wide receiver to corner in 2023 due to a lack of depth at the position. One other portal player, walk-on kicker Jacob Lurie, was a specialist.

Two transfer commits

In the entire 2023 offseason, the Commodores took just two scholarship transfers. Within two weeks of the end of the 2023 season, Vanderbilt has already landed two transfer commitments.

Both are defensive players: MTSU defensive end Zaylin Wood and TCU safety Randon Fontenette.

Lea hinted before the season ended that he planned to be more aggressive in the portal this offseason, and so far that has been the case.

Part of that is out of necessity. The Commodores have 17 scholarship players who are in the transfer portal, three who are out of eligibility, two who have declared for the draft and two who are retiring from football. They have 20 incoming freshmen committed. That leaves two additional scholarships open for incoming transfers, and that is without accounting for further defections (either now or in the spring) or recruits who decommit before signing day.

TRANSFER TRACKER Vanderbilt football transfer portal tracker 2023: Who is joining, leaving the Commodores

Who is coming back?

Several players have announced that they are returning. The two biggest names of that group are Langston Patterson and CJ Taylor.

Others who have publicly said they are returning are running backs AJ Newberry and Deago Benson, safety Marlen Sewell, tight end Kamrean Johnson, left tackle Gunnar Hansen, defensive lineman Christian James, linebacker/safety Jeffrey Ugo, defensive lineman De'Marion Thomas and cornerback Alan Wright.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football: Clark Lea dealing with transfer portal exodus