While Lane Kiffin appears to be the No. 1 target in the SEC, the Penn State opening appears to be more of a mystery now.

The Vanderbilt defense came up tall on the final Hail Mary against Missouri, holding back the Tigers as they had all day. That made for a Commodores win, their second in a row at home against a ranked opponent.

The only reason for Clark Lea to leave Vanderbilt, in 2025, is if he doesn’t think the current run is sustainable and wants to get out before he starts going 2-10 again. But that would say much more about Clark Lea than it would about Vanderbilt.

The revival of Vanderbilt's football program began in a Sunday school classroom with Clark Lea and Barton Simmons many years ago

Coaching legend Nick Saban sent a strong warning to the Vanderbilt Commodores and their fans about coach Clark Lea.

Lea and quarterback Diego Pavia are two big reasons for Vanderbilt's success, but they aren't the only people behind its sudden transformation from SEC also-ran to legitimate College Football Playoff contender.

Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea delivered a powerful message on Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, whose status is uncertain for the matchup on Saturday.

That’s always in the back of the mind for coaches: It’s still a profession, and it could still go south. Ralph Friedgen coached Maryland for 10 years before his alma mater fired him. He was offered the Georgia Tech job in 2002, after his first year at Maryland, and said later that, in hindsight, he should have taken it.