As we say goodbye to 2024, it’s only appropriate to take a moment to reflect on what a truly magical year it was. This was a year that won’t be forgotten by Commodore fans, either in the foreseeable future or for decades to come. After years of getting coal in our stocking, it was finally our turn to be on the nice list.

And the top gift from Santa was our own Red Ryder BB gun named Diego Pavia. Although if we’re being honest, we didn’t know it at the time. We assumed he would be the starter, and he would be fine. No one could have anticipated the phenomenon he would become. After all, expectations were low for this team - at least externally. After a 2023 team with more hype floundered to a 2-10 season, the betting over/under win total for the Commodores heading into 2024 was 2.5.

Well, the team managed to get that third win on October 5, a date no Commodore fan will ever forget. A date the unthinkable happened. You already know the story, so I won’t recap the details, but suffice it to say nothing was ever the same after defeating #1 Alabama. It was a program changing win. It was the most significant win in Vandy football history, and if it wasn’t the most significant win in Vandy sports history, it is certainly on the short list (the baseball national championships are the only argument IMO). Fans will still be talking about that day 40 to 50 years from now.

In reviving a moribund program there is no substitute for winning games, especially high-profile games like that one. And don’t get me wrong, winning sure is fun! But it was also more than that. Pavia made us fall in love with this team like no other team before it. He made us believe. Pavia has swagger. He has charisma. I’m not sure Vandy has ever had an athlete quite like him with his electric play, his will to win, the hilarious expletive-laced quotes, and the national recognition he has earned for himself and the program. By the end of the season, there were Pavia t-shirts and jerseys all over FirstBank Stadium which is something we’ve never seen for any Vanderbilt athlete. If he is healthy and, on the field, we have a puncher’s chance against anyone.

Pavia was once again brilliant in Vandy’s dominant Birmingham Bowl win (not as close as the 35-27 final score) against a very good Georgia Tech team earn him MVP honors. The best news came before the game with his victory in his lawsuit against the NCAA that would allow him another season of eligibility.

With a 7-6 final record, Pavia led Vandy football to its first winning season since 2013, and he boldly declared after bowl game he will never have a losing season. I believe him, and that gives Commodore fans much more to look forward to in 2025.

Our other shiny new gift in 2024 was the new basketball coach. Ater leading James Madison to 32 wins and the NCAA tournament second round, Mark Byington was hired to replace Jerry Stackhouse (thankfully fired in March) as the next Commodore coach.

I’m not sure a lot of fans knew what to make of this hire at the time. Many fans had their hearts set on Chris Mack. We didn’t know much about Byington or what he would bring, but most everyone was just happy it was someone other than Stackhouse.

So far, the early returns are very impressive. Vandy currently sits at 12-1 as they head into the conference schedule. For context, the team was 5-8 at this point last year – which included home losses to Presbyterian and San Francisco. Last year the team won 9 games for the entire season. The current team won their 9th game on December 8.

No, the nonconference season was not overly challenging, but in winning the games Vandy is supposed to win by the margins they are supposed to win them Byington is already a significant improvement over his predecessor. Understanding that November and December preconference schedule is not like the NBA preseason, and these games actually count toward postseason consideration is a refreshing change.

Byington and his style are everything Stackhouse wasn’t. He’s quirky and fun – everyone on the roster is listed as a point guard. And like the football team, not only is the team winning games but they are actually enjoyable to watch! They play hard. They play fast. They get a lot of steals and put up a ton of shots. In five seasons at Vanderbilt, none of Stackhouse’s teams ever scored 100 or more points. Byington’s team has done it 3 times already, in just 13 games.

With that said, in all my decades of watching SEC basketball this may be the most stacked the league has ever been from top to bottom. With Vandy’s lack of size, rebounding, inconsistent shooting and defense, I can’t promise they won’t struggle at times in league play. What I can promise is they will be fun to watch, which has rarely been the case in the last five seasons.

What Byington has been able to do, essentially cobbling together a brand-new team through the transfer portal and molding them into a competitive product on the court, has been nothing short of remarkable. With a foundation established, it’s hard not to be excited at the anticipation of what he can do with a couple more years of player development and fine-tuning the roster with his style of players.

Soak it in Commodore fans, Vandy’s high-profile sports finally have tangible momentum. While it’s natural to be excited about where this will go, I have the feeling we will always look back at 2024 with a certain fondness – the year it became fun to root for Vandy again…