Derek Mason and the Vanderbilt football team are midway through spring drills. The team took off last week for spring break, but the Commodores plan to hit the ground running tomorrow morning. We take a look at some of the questions remaining this spring.

The struggles with the quarterback-center exchange during spring practice have been well documented thus far. With Vanderbilt’s offensive performance over the past two seasons, they can’t afford to have negative plays with bad exchanges. Vanderbilt had a couple of young offensive linemen vying for the starting spot in Cole Hardin and Ean Pfeifer heading into spring practice, and neither seem to have separated themselves from the others. Both have had their good moments, and many around the program believe that they will be solid contributors in the future.

Head coach Derek Mason has thrown around the possibility of some possible shifts up front that could move star offensive tackle Andrew Jelks to center in order to get the five best offensive linemen on the field. The Henry County native doesn’t have any center experience, but it would allow Vanderbilt to get him, talented sophomore Justin Skule, and senior Will Holden on the field at the same time. The dark horse in the center race could be redshirt senior Barrett Gouger. Gouger has served as a bit of utility guy this spring, as he has gotten snaps at center, guard, and tackle.

Vanderbilt lost two safeties in Jahmel McIntosh and Andrew Williamson due to graduation last season. With the move of Oren Burks to outside linebacker, the Commodores have now lost three from the back end from last season. Derek Mason wants more speed on defense, and he must have confidence in the other safeties to move Burks to linebacker. Emmanuel Smith and Ryan White have both gotten plenty of reps with the first unit, but young safeties like Andrew Rector and Ladarius Wiley have pushed them as well.

Smith was a heralded recruit out of high school, and he played most of his time at nickel last season. The Murfreesboro product has excellent speed and size, and he has made several plays this spring. Ryan White is a veteran defensive back that always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Andrew Rector is a physical, smart player that has surprised many this spring. The biggest surprise goes to Ladarius Wiley, as the former corner has made a solid transition to safety. Wiley is a smooth operator that has good ball skills. True freshman Zaire Jones is also making a case to be considered at safety. Arnold Tarpley will also factor into the mix in the fall.

Most people thought heading into spring practice that Kyle Shurmur was going to run away with the quarterback job, and the main question was who would emerge as the backup. Fast-forward through 8 practices, Vanderbilt has a two-way battle for the quarterback position between Kyle Shurmur and Wade Freebeck. Some will say that Shurmur hasn’t played up to his potential, and others will point to the fact that Freebeck has gotten better.

Kyle Shurmur is coming off a solid performance in the season finale against Tennessee. Earlier this spring, Shurmur struggled in the accuracy department, but he improved in that area greatly during the past few practices. After he settled down a bit, he made some nice back shoulder throws, and he showed why many have been excited about him as a player. He’s got a good connection with wide receivers Trent Sherfield and CJ Duncan. The Pennsylvania native is a smart quarterback that doesn’t make many mistakes.

Wade Freebeck has been a pleasant surprise for the Commodores. He has NFL size and possesses the best arm on the team. Those attributes just haven’t translated to on field performance the past two seasons, and several people wrote him off after being passed over by a true freshman last season. He didn’t let that deter him, and he has made quicker decisions and several good throws this spring. Derek Mason wants competition at the position, and Freeebeck is making things interesting. It will be interesting to see how Shurmur and Freebeck perform down the stretch.