Through four practices of fall camp, the Commodores’ revamped offense should create advantages that we haven’t seen under Clark Lea.

New offensive coordinator Tim Beck acknowledged the quarterback battle by complimenting the group but emphasized consistency as a key to success.

“We got a great competition going on at that position. We’ll continue that for the next couple of weeks. I’ve seen some bright spots. Our guys are smart, they’re playing hard, they’re playing fast. We’ve got to be more consistent.”

Vanderbilt must improve statistically on the ground and through the air after last season’s struggles, but ball security is at the top of Beck’s priority list heading into the 2024 season.

“The big emphasis on our quarterback position is not turning the ball over; we must ensure we take care of the ball. Whether that be on a ride when we’re running inside zone or it might be throwing the football. We just have to continue to get consistent. Our guys are all on the same page regarding what we want, but now we have to be able to do it on the field.”

After the departure of AJ Swann, Ken Seals, and Walter Taylor, the quarterback room looks completely different this season. Diego Pavis transferred in from New Mexico State, Nate Johnson arrived in the spring from Utah, and Blaze Berlowitz followed his OC to Nashville. Meanwhile, the lone returning signal caller Drew Dickey has also shown what he’s capable of. Coach Beck loves what all three new faces have brought to the room.

“Obviously, Diego has a lot of experience, a lot of games under his belt. They all understand the passing game really well. Nate is a very fast player so, if he pulls the ball down to run, he’s going to go get some yards. Blaze has continued to get better and better, he’s very young, but he’s continuing to improve. Drew is learning our system from the system that he learned here last year. He’s made a lot of improvements as well. All of them are getting better in all aspects of the game.”

In an age of college football that features most offenses operating at an explosive level with an emphasis on spreading the field and throwing the football all across the field, Vanderbilt is approaching things differently. While finding weapons in the passing game will be a focus, the key term for Coach Beck is balance.

“The important thing is to have a good balance. It’s somewhat of a chess match going against what you think they’re going to call in certain situations. When I say balance, I’m talking about… we don’t know how many times we’re going to run it or throw it going into a game, depending on what we’re getting defensively. We’re not going to be stubborn and stand there and keep throwing it if they’ve got four, five, or six great pass rushers. It’s the same thing if they’re going to load the box and continue to take the run away, we’re not going to stand there and hand the ball off. We have to be smart about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. We’ve got to be flexible and balanced, but yet, be able to surprise them at times.”

Whether the 2024 version of the Vanderbilt offense is still to be determined in-game action, another main focus is taking care of the football. Punting is never the objective for any offensive coordinator, but Beck doesn’t want this offense to hurt this year’s team as much as it did last season.

Moving forward in fall camp, Beck asks one simple task of his quarterbacks.

“100% ball security. Taking care of the football. Vanderbilt gets better right away if we take care of the football. We don’t ever want to punt the ball, but punting the football is not a crime either. Turning the ball over is. So, we have to take care of the ball.”

Offensive line coach Chris Klenakis will play a huge factor in the improvement of the offensive line, which holds the task of creating running lanes for mobile quarterbacks such as Diego Pavia and Nate Johnson.

Pavia is looking forward to playing behind a revamped offensive line, led by Gunnar Hansen and transfers like Steven Hubbard and Chase Mitchell.

“He’s worked with Lamar Jackson and Collin Kaepernick. I like just the intensity that he brings and then Big Glo (Hubbard) too, he brings the intensity every single day at practice, that’s what makes him stand out. A lot of guys like Gunnar Hansen, both centers look really good, so it’s going to be a phenomenal season.”

If Klenakis can upgrade the play of the offensive line and Beck finds a way to keep the chains moving, the 2024 Vanderbilt offense has a chance to be much improved from a year ago.