The Gator Bait series continues on Tuesday with a look at Florida's tenth opponent of the 2019 season, Vanderbilt.
The big story coming out of Nashville is that Derek Mason still has to sort out his problem at quarterback.
Kyle Shurmur did solid work for the Commodores during his career but the Vandy head coach needs to find his replacement. Could Ball State transfer Riley Neal be the answer?
The Quarterbacks
Neal went 8-of12 passing in the spring game, while junior Deuce Wallace was out with an injury. According to those that cover the Commodores, Neal demonstrated a good pocket presence during the spring game and seemed unfazed to play in bad conditions.
During his time at Ball State, the quarterback featured in 32 games, throwing for for 7,393 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Wallace did not play due to an infection in his arm pit and he did not play last season after being suspended for violating school policy. It is safe to say that the quarterback battle isn't quite over at Vandy.
After the game Mason told reporters that neither Wallace or Neal have "earned" the right to be named the starter yet.
Playmakers around QB
The good news for Mason is that Vandy does have experienced playmakers surrounding the signal caller: wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb and tight end Jared Pinkney are just two that decided to return.
In addition to the pair, Vandy also returns running back Ke'shawn Vaughn (1,244 yards, 12 touchdowns). Vaughn's status was uncertain at the end of last year but ultimately he decided to return for one more season - much to the relief of Mason and company.
Meanwhile, Vandy is working on putting together a new offensive line.
The Commodores will have to replace three starters: center Bruno Reagan, left tackle Justin Skule and right guard Egidio DellaRipa. The line (from left to right) is expected to look like: Devin Cochran, Saige Young, Grant Muller, Cole Clemens and Tyler Steen.
Vandy will add some more depth in the fall, with the addition of South Alabama graduate transfer Rowan Godwin and signees Julian Hernandez Brayden Bapst and Donald Fitzgerald.
The Young Defense
This is a very young defense. There will only be two seniors on the field when the season begins.
Vanderbilt saw a lot of its veterans leave this offseason. Josh Smith, Joejuan Williams, Louis Vecchio, Dare Odeyingbo, Jordan Griffin and LaDarius Wiley are all gone. There is no doubt Williams will be the biggest loss - he was picked up by the Patriots in the second round.
At linebacker there is competition brewing between redshirt sophomore Dimitri Moore, sophomore Alston Orji and redshirt sophomore Feleti Afemui. Linebacker Caleb Peart is returning and is expected to take up the mantle as the leader of the group as well.
True freshman and early enrollee Daevion Davis is one name to watch the next few months. The nose guard arrived in Nashville with a college-ready body at 6-foot-2, 310 pounds, and quickly impressed the coaches this spring. With the staff wanting to create a deep rotation at the defensive line, it would be surprising not to see Davis on the field next year.
Medical Report
In addition to Wallace, All-SEC tight end Jared Pinkney, tackle Devin Cochran, safety Frank Coppet, defensive back Elijah Hamilton, tight end Ben Bresnahan and tight end Cody Markel did not participate this spring.
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