Seniors from last year who are coming back for a fifth season

[BrentVU]

Vandy now and then releases these videos on Twitter and Instagram of the guys "grinding" in the weight room and doing workouts on the practice fields. (You know, lifting enormous tires, things like that.) They're interesting to watch.

The latest one reveals that a number of seniors from last year's team are back, baby, for another go. Guys I'd wondered about like DL Nate Clifton, DL Christian James, DL Daevion Davis, and DL Brayden Bapst, are clearly all back. In the secondary, DB Jaylen Mahoney and DB B.J. Anderson are back for another year (the sixth for Anderson); Mahoney could have declared for the NFL, but next year he has a chance to be All-SEC. On the offensive line, bell cow Julian Hernandez is back. Punter Matthew Hayball is seen briefly running sprints (we knew about him). Justin Lustig said recently that TE Justin Ball is back.

We fret about Ray Davis, Elijah McAllister, and Devin Boddie who transferred with eligibility left; Mike Wright, who left after his junior year; and Anfernee Orji, who decided the time was right to give the NFL a try. But this is a good number of Derek Mason recruits who, whatever their reasons, thought coming back for another go was the best thing; they should provide excellent leadership for the team next season.

[commadore]

How does this large number affect our scholarship limits?

[BrentVU]

How does this large number affect our scholarship limits?

Good question. I still am not 100% sure about everybody. But here's my math:

85 scholarships last season
-2 kicked off,
-6 declares for NFL,
-9 into the portal,
-1 medical retirement,
-1 who I know is out of eligibility (there could be more in this category??)
= 66, leaving (at least) 19 scholarships open.

Vandy signed 23, plus has one scholarship transfer coming in, and they're reportedly looking at a grad transfer tight end, making (at least) 25 newcomers.

I don't know where all the scholarships are going to come from... but it's not my problem. There could certainly have been some attrition that I don't know about yet. Hopefully they'll release a spring roster in the next two weeks or so.

[Minoadoc]

It's good for depth and program building to have these guys come back. I'm probably wrong but the covid regs adding years for eligibility might allow for going over the 85 scholarships and are still in effect. this would probably be the last year