AJ Swann showed flashes of excellence in 2022 but in 2023, Vanderbilt needs more than that.

This is Swann’s team now and for Vanderbilt to get anywhere near bowl eligibility, he needs to play like it. Swann needs to be the guy.

In his freshman season, the former four-star recruit racked up 1,274 passing yards, 10 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 53.7 while sharing reps with Mike Wright.

As Swann enters his sophomore season, Wright prepares for a season at Mississippi State, where he transferred to in the winter. That opens up all the opportunities in the world for Swann. No more sharing reps, the job is his until he proves it isn’t.

Vanderbilt has a capable backup in Ken Seals but undoubtedly has a higher ceiling with Swann, it should have most if not all of its eggs in the Swann basket. Coach Clark Lea has expressed plenty of confidence in his young quarterback.

“We have very high hopes for him. He’s demonstrated an ability to throw the ball on the perimeter, throw catchable balls (and) lead the offense,” the Vanderbilt head coach said in December.

The arm talent is undeniable with Vanderbilt’s sophomore quarterback, there aren’t many throws that Swann can’t make. Now it’s time to do that consistently against SEC opponents. Lea expressed on Vanderbilt's SEC media day that consistency is one of if not the biggest point of emphasis for Swann.

“We know he can make big plays in big moments, we’ve seen that, he needs to be able to consistently facilitate performance in those around him,” Lea said on Tuesday.

As a freshman, the former four-star recruit was tremendous in early-season outings against Wake Forest as well as Northern Illinois and flashed in a 38-27 loss to Ole Miss later in the year but couldn’t consistently show the same traits in the heart of league play.

Struggles against Alabama, Georgia and Missouri served as reminders of Swann’s youth while injuries robbed him of late season reps.

Swann doesn’t have as reliable of a run game to lean on and will have to deal with question marks at tight end, but as he enters year two there’s now a level of familiarity and in Lea’s eyes he has more than enough around him to succeed.

Now it’s time to use those pieces to take this program to the next level, it won’t be on Swann’s back solely to take it there but Vanderbilt may not be able to do it without him. It's hard to argue that Swann isn't Vanderbilt's most important player in 2023.