‘Best program in the country’? Maybe not, but Clark Lea and Vanderbilt show real progress
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — If they issued Vegas odds on coaches most likely to dish a viral media day quote, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea wouldn’t exactly be among the favorites.
Lea is so defiantly pragmatic and generally thoughtful that his players have joked with him over the years that he profiles more as a philosophy professor than a fire-breathing football coach. A copy of the book “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think” sits on his desk.
In other words, they’d pass Prohibition laws on Broadway in Nashville before Lea would earn a reputation as a carnival barker.
Last year at SEC media days, however, Lea delivered a quote that was the most memorable one of the event and got aggregated everywhere from Fox News to Bro Bible: “We know in time Vanderbilt football will be the best program in the country,” Lea declared from the podium.
At a program that once went a half-century between bowl wins — from the 1955 Gator Bowl to the 2008 Music City Bowl — the quote went viral because it strained credulity.
A year later, some of the root of Lea’s boundless Commodores optimism is coming to life. There’s a massive, sprawling and noisy athletic facility overhaul underway at Vanderbilt — known as Vandy United — that projects to cost somewhere between $600 million and $700 million. It should deliver Vanderbilt the type of facilities that match the quality of the education on campus.
While Vandy United will touch every sport at Vanderbilt, the significant upgrades to every aspect of the football program’s infrastructure and stadium are signs that, finally, Vanderbilt is committed to being more than an attractive weekend getaway for opposing SEC fans.
“I would not have chosen to come here if I didn’t know the commitment would be there,” Lea told ESPN in his office on Monday, the same day he agreed to a three-year contract extension through 2029. “I think sometimes because I know what that commitment is and I believe in it, sometimes it feels a little lonely when you’re pushing that narrative without the visual representation of. So I think the construction is something that we can point out externally to say this is happening, now’s the time.”
The visual and audio evidence was apparent out Lea’s window. A crane nearly eight stories high marked the skyline at the far end of the stadium. At least four different backhoes clawed the ground, as the horseshoe at the end of the stadium had been gutted. Enough construction equipment was scattered around the stadium — only about 60 yards of which is usable for football for now — that it looked like something out of a toddler’s fever dream.
The corresponding build has already begun on the field. Vanderbilt showed meaningful improvement from Lea’s first year to his second — the Commodores went from 2-10 and winless in the SEC to 5-7 and winning at Kentucky and over Florida. Lea made clear that no one should throw a party for 5-7, but the progress has been significant.
“I think we’ve got to draw some lines at the idea that we’re celebrated for 5-7,” Lea said. “That’s not what we’re in this for. And we can look at progress and acknowledge that it’s being made, but we’re not going to be left satisfied with that.”
While the Commodores still have a ways to go on the field, there’s a long overdue plan in place for Lea and athletic director Candice Storey Lee to help solve one of the past century’s most vexing riddles: Why can’t Vanderbilt football’s brand aspire to the same rare air as the university’s brand?
The massive facility overhaul is a significant sign of that commitment and Lee’s vision. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey points to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier being bullish on athletics in his short tenure and Lee’s determination to see it through. “You now see the movement,” Sankey told ESPN. “It’s exciting for the future.”
The pitch is simple, as Lea calls it “one of one” in college football: the brand of Vanderbilt’s elite academics, the competitive platform of the SEC and the boom that Nashville is undergoing all combining for Vanderbilt to finally become a destination for top football recruits. Vanderbilt is building, with the hopes they will come.
“It speaks to the level of commitment the university has for our program,” Lea said over the construction rumble. “That football is important here. And that’s a hell of a statement. But it also just pushes this further down the line of saying you don’t have to make compromise in your choices.”
There are some quality players in place for the Commodores to capture a bowl bid on the field in 2023. Most promising is sophomore quarterback AJ Swann, who showed the moxie, arm talent and production — 10 touchdown passes and two interceptions in six starts — to win the job as a true freshman and cement himself as the program’s quarterback of the future.
He’ll be throwing to a strong crew of receivers, including Will Sheppard, who is one of the SEC’s most productive returning receivers with nine touchdown catches last year. (That was good for second in the SEC.)
There’s also a feeling that the accumulated talent on defense, including junior tackling machine CJ Taylor and rangy safety De’Rickey Wright, will put up more resistance. Vanderbilt finished No. 124 in scoring defense last year, and that included being near the bottom of the country in nearly every pass defense category.
“I hope that this season reveals the power of retention, retaining players, retaining systems, retaining staff familiarity, deepening relationships, deepening understandings,” Lea said. “That’s really what makes me most excited about what’s ahead of us.”
For the players and fans, there will be temporary inconveniences. The capacity for FirstBank Stadium at Vanderbilt this season will be nearly 30,000, down from 40,000. When the entire project is completed around 2026, there will be a plethora of premium ticket experiences available in a stadium of around 34,000 that better fit with the entertainment and sports options in Nashville.
Vanderbilt deputy athletic director Tommy McClelland, who is running point on the Vandy United project, said the alignment at the school between the chancellor, board and athletics has allowed such significant change to happen so quickly. And one byproduct is the Frist Family Athletic Village, which is the umbrella name for the massive building overhaul.
He points to the success that Tim Corbin’s baseball program has had — two national titles in the past decade — as a blueprint for what can be done when all the forces at Vanderbilt are aligned.
“We are situated so uniquely geographically in the conference that we’re in. The city that we have is a growing, vibrant city,” McClelland said. “It is a world-class education. When you combine the experience of elite athletics, elite academics and the ability to pursue all your athletic dreams, what’s possible is achieving at the highest level.”
Not surprising for a coach who keeps extra copies of the book “The Mountain Is You” to lend to his players, Lea is more about results than rhetoric. But as the ground moves around at Vanderbilt, it’s increasingly evident that for the first time in school history, there’s a clear desire for Vanderbilt to invest in football so the program matches the school’s academic brand.
“We shudder at the thought of being an academic school that plays football,” Lea said. “We want to be known as a really good football school. That means we take our football really seriously.”
Those signs are finally visible on campus. If you want to see them up close, a hard hat is required.
Following just one game on the schedule on Tuesday night, Wednesday night is back to the standard of two games — one of which could be the swan song for a recent Stanley Cup champion.
The first matchup pits the Florida Panthers against the Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET, ESPN); those teams are tied 2-2. In the nightcap, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Edmonton Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), with the home team hoping to avoid a 4-1 series loss just two seasons after winning it all.
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a recap of what went down in Tuesday’s game and the Three Stars of Tuesday from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 5 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
With the series tied 2-2, ESPN BET has the Panthers as the favorites to win the series at -210 compared to +170 for the Leafs. Florida is now +400 to win the Cup, while Toronto is +900.
When a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 79% of the time in Stanley Cup playoffs history.
Each goal that Carter Verhaeghe scores extends his lead atop the franchise leaderboard for career playoff goals; he’s currently at 30, ahead of Sam Reinhart (24), Aleksander Barkov (22) and Matthew Tkachuk (20).
Acquired at the trade deadline from Boston, Brad Marchand has a personal 4-0 record against Toronto in playoff series, and is tied for the third-most points against the Leafs in Stanley Cup playoff history; his 33 are tied with Henri Richard, trailing Alex Delvecchio (35) and Gordie Howe (53).
William Nylander leads Toronto in goals this postseason, with six, and he continues to climb the Leafs’ career playoff goal-scoring leaderboard. With 26, he is tied with Steve Thomas and George Armstrong for fifth on the list; Ted Kennedy is fourth, with 29.
Fellow member of the Core Four Mitch Marner is on the precipice of a career milestone too; with his next assist, he’ll join Doug Gilmour as the only Maple Leafs with 50 or more career playoff assists.
Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights
Game 5 | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
The Oilers take a 3-1 lead into Game 5, and ESPN BET has adjusted the series winner odds accordingly; Edmonton is now -1000 to win this series, with the Knights at +550. Edmonton also has the shortest Stanley Cup odds, at +260, while Vegas’ are +3000; only the Capitals have longer odds, at +7500.
When leading a best-of-seven series 3-1, the Oilers have gone on to win 94% of the time in their history; the Knights have never rallied to win a series after trailing 3-1.
Adam Henrique had two goals in the first period of Game 4 after just one goal in the first nine games this postseason. It was his second career multigoal game — the last came in 2012 during the Devils’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Connor McDavid assisted on Evander Kane‘s goal in Game 4, extending his assist streak to eight games. That ties Wayne Gretzky (1983) for the third-longest such streak in Oilers postseason history, trailing Leon Draisaitl (2022) and Glenn Anderson (1985), both of whom had a nine-game assist streak in a single postseason.
Vegas’ Mark Stone has 36 career playoff goals, tied with Jonathan Marchessault for the Knights’ franchise playoff record.
Teammate Jack Eichel is getting pucks on net, but he has scored only once this postseason. His 27 shots on goal lead the Knights, but among the 43 players with 20 or more shots on goal this postseason, Eichel’s 3.7% shooting percentage is the lowest.
Öcal’s Three Stars from Tuesday
Granlund scored his first career hat trick to lead the way for Dallas. He now has multiple points in consecutive playoff games within a single postseason for the first time in his career.
The Minnesota native stopped 31 of 32 shots to earn the win. He’s the sixth U.S.-born goalie to win 30 playoff games — Tom Barrasso leads the list, with 60.
The star defenseman had an assist and skated just under 15 minutes in his first game since Jan. 28.
Tuesday’s recap
Dallas Stars 3, Winnipeg Jets 1
DAL leads 3-1 | Game 5 Thursday
For much of the postseason, it has been the Mikko Rantanen show for the Stars. On this night, center stage belonged to another Finn the Stars added in trade during the season. Mikael Granlund scored his first career hat trick — spacing them out nicely with one in each period — which was more than enough to outscore the visiting Jets. Nikolaj Ehlers‘ tally at 1:02 of the second period was the only shot that got past Dallas’ Jake Oettinger, as chants of “Otter’s better!” rained down from the Dallas faithful in the seats to torment Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck. Dallas brings a 3-1 lead to Game 5 in Manitoba, pushing for a third conference finals trip in the past four years. Full recap.
0:19
Jake Oettinger’s save earns rousing ovation from Dallas fans
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger makes a beautiful save early in Game 4 vs. the Jets.
Illinois has locked in its football and men’s basketball coaches for the long term, agreeing to six-year contracts with Bret Bielema and Brad Underwood.
Illinois rewarded Bielema for turning around its struggling football program, and Underwood for an eight-year run that includes five NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the Elite Eight. Both deals were announced Tuesday.
Bielema’s deal runs through 2030, while Underwood is locked in through the 2030-31 season. The contracts are pending approval by the university’s board of trustees on May 22.
Bielema’s annual salary would begin at $7.7 million, while Underwood’s would start at $4.4 million. Both coaches would be eligible for four one-year extensions if performance benchmarks are met, as well as annual retention incentives starting next July 1.
For Bielema, the retention incentives would start at $700,000 and increase each year. For Underwood, they would begin at $1.15 million.
In four seasons in Champaign, Bielema has led Illinois to a 28-22 record and an 18-18 mark in Big Ten play. The Illini matched a school record for wins in 2024 when they went 10-3. They beat South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl and became just the fifth team in the program’s 133 years to reach double-digit victories.
“Over the last four seasons, our program has been built on tough, smart, dependable people in every facet: from our players, to our coaches and staff, to our administration,” Bielema said in a statement. “I am fortunate to work every day with an athletic director that fully believes in our football program and a coaching staff that fully believes in our players.”
Underwood praised his program’s “alignment” with athletic director Josh Whitman, the administration and trustees.
“That foundation created the environment where — led by all the tremendous players we’ve had along with a group of talented assistant coaches and a dedicated staff — we have been able to achieve success,” he said.
Bielema, who led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowls before a disappointing run at Arkansas, replaced the fired Lovie Smith after the 2020 season. He got a six-year contract at the time with a salary starting at $4.2 million to return to the Big Ten and his home state.
Illinois had nine straight losing seasons before Bielema was hired. The Illini went 5-7 in his first year before winning eight games in 2022. They went 5-7 in 2023 before bouncing back last year.
Illinois won 10 games for the first time since 2001 and were ranked by the College Football Playoff selection committee a program-record four straight weeks, while appearing in the AP poll 11 times, finishing at No. 16.
Underwood is 165-101 overall at Illinois and 92-66 in Big Ten play, with three league championships. He and Lou Henson are the only Illini coaches with at least five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Illinois was also on track to make the 2020 tournament that was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Illini won 22 games last season after losing five starters and the top eight scorers from a team that reached the Elite Eight in 2024.
Underwood has a 274-128 record in 12 seasons as a head coach, including three at Stephen F. Austin and one at Oklahoma State.
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Eli Lederman
Miami secured a seismic commitment when five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300, picked the Hurricanes over Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State on Tuesday afternoon.
A 6-foot-8, 315-pound lineman from Nixa, Missouri, Cantwell is the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle. He commits to the Hurricanes as the highest-ranked member of coach Mario Cristobal’s latest recruiting class, landing with Miami days after an unofficial visit to the Bulldogs on May 10.
Despite the late trip to Georgia, Cantwell’s finalists battled to the very end. Sources told ESPN that Oregon sent assistants A’lique Terry and Drew Mehringer to Missouri on Monday to make the Ducks’ final pitch to Cantwell and his family. Miami tabled the most lucrative NIL package in Cantwell’s recruitment, with sources telling ESPN that the Hurricanes offered a multiyear deal worth more than $2 million annually.
The Hurricanes ultimately outmuscled Georgia and Oregon at the negotiating table, but Cristobal and Miami had held a consistently rising presence in Cantwell’s recruitment in the months leading up to his decision.
Cantwell told ESPN earlier this spring that his confidence in the Hurricanes was bolstered significantly by his March visit to Miami — a trip that crystallized the program’s vision for Cantwell, his trust in Cristobal and offensive Alex Mirabal’s track record of developing elite offensive linemen.
“I got to learn more about the program on that trip,” Cantwell said. “I think Cristobal and Mirabal do a fantastic job coaching up the offensive line, and the guys like playing for them. They’re good teachers. I believe Miami is a good place to live and study. There’s a lot of good things going for them.”
If he signs later this year, Cantwell will mark Miami’s highest-ranked addition since Cristobal took over the program following the 2021 season. He also would be the Hurricanes’ fourth five-star offensive line addition across the five recruiting cycles under Cristobal.
Miami, which secured the nation’s 13th-ranked signing class in 2025, now holds five ESPN 300 commits in the 2026 class, with Cantwell joining linebacker Jordan Campbell (No. 142 overall), cornerbacks Jontavius Wyman (No. 218) and Jaelen Waters (No. 257) and running back Javian Mallory (No. 257).
Defensive tackle Lamar Brown (No. 1 overall) and running back Derrek Cooper (No. 7) are among the top recruits set for official visits with Miami later this spring.
Cantwell emerged as a top offensive line prospect at Missouri’s Nixa High School, flashing power and sharp technique with impressive footwork for his size as a multiyear starter. The son of former Olympic shot-putters Christian Cantwell — a silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Games — and Teri Steer, Cantwell holds multiple national high school throwing records and is expected to continue his track and field career in college.
Six of the nation’s top-10 offensive tackle prospects are still uncommitted for the 2026 cycle. Oregon is now expected to turn its attention to Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 12 overall), the cycle’s second-ranked offensive lineman. Five-star prospect Felix Ojo (No. 20) and four-star blockers John Turntine III (No. 44), Micah Smith (No. 47), Ekene Ogboko (No. 51) and Darius Gray (No. 73) will take their recruitments into the summer months.
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