Lea to coach Vandy

Vanderbilt has hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea as its new football coach, bringing back a Nashville native and former Commodores fullback to the program.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt has hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea as its new football coach, bringing back a Nashville native and former Commodores fullback to the program.

Lea will be introduced next week at a news conference. He currently is busy helping No. 2 Notre Dame (10-0) prepare to play No. 3 Clemson on Saturday in the ACC Championship Game with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.

Vanderbilt Athletic Director Candice Lee thanked Notre Dame’s president, athletic director and Coach Brian Kelly for their cooperation during the hiring process. Lee said it’s important to everyone, including Lea, that he fulfill his obligations to Notre Dame.

The 38-year-old Lea is a Nashville native who played baseball at Birmingham- Southern and Belmont before walking on as a fullback at Vanderbilt, where he played from 2002-04. He is a two-time graduate of Vanderbilt, having earned a graduate degree in political science.

Lea has been Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator for the past three seasons and has coached in eight bowl games. The Fighting Irish made the College Football Playoff in 2018 behind a defense that ranked eighth in the nation in yards allowed per play (4.53).

Vanderbilt fired Derek Mason on Nov. 29 after he went 27-55 in seven seasons, including losing the first eight games of 2020. The Commodores (09) have lost 13 consecutive SEC games, the program’s longest skid since dropping 23 straight from 2000-03.

On Monday, Vanderbilt canceled Saturday’s season finale at Georgia due to a combination of falling below both the number of scholarship players available and position requirements for the game due to covid-19 issues, injuries and opt outs. That locked in the first winless season in school history.

Lea