Photos: Special Visitor

by Barca Blog - The Commodores received a pep talk from a special guest following Friday night's practice– Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos. To read more about his visit, click here.

My lips are sealed

by Barca Blog - It's officially been one week since Vanderbilt opened camp and the big question about who will start at quarterback can be summed up by three letters: TBD.

Head coach Bobby Johnson hasn't tipped his hand to the press so far (nor did we expect him to at this point), explaining that it's an open competition. Johnson has been asked several times throughout the week about how the QB's have performed, but has opted not to reveal if there's been any separation between the group.

"I'm pleased with Larry (Smith), I'm pleased with Mackenzi (Adams), I'm pleased with Jared Funk, I'm pleased with Charlie Goro, and Matt Casas," the head coach said. "We're just trying to put things in and see everybody execute."

I don't have any problems with his reasoning. If you don't have a clear cut favorite to start camp, then make them earn it. That's what it's for. Healthy competition is good. There's a long layover between spring and fall practice, so rather than jumping the gun, give them the reps to find out (a) who put in the work over the summer and (b) who is the best option to lead this offense. No reason to rush the decision process.

One thing's for sure... each signal caller will need to be ready no matter what the depth chart looks like heading into the Western Carolina opener on September 5. Three different quarterbacks have taken snaps in each of the Commodores previous three seasons.

Video: Johnson's Monday presser

by Barca Blog - Watch head coach Bobby Johnson's press conference following Monday night's practice at the John Rich Practice Facility.

Video: Johnson's Sunday presser

by Barca Blog - Vanderbilt donned shoulder pads for the first time Sunday evening (recap), giving us a taste of what Tuesday's practice in full gear will be like.

"When we get in pads on Tuesday, we'll probably dedicate a little bit of time to real football," head coach Bobby Johnson said. "We'll scrimmage some and the inside drill will be live. It will be no holds barred then. Football is Football."

Watch Johnson's entire press conference following last night's practice below:

Sideline watch

by Barca Blog - One of the storylines coming out of Saturday's practice had to do with the Commodores that didn't take the field on day two.

First, three receivers – redshirt sophomore Udom Umoh, redshirt freshman John Cole and redshirt freshman Akeem Dunham – attended practice but did not participate due to minor injuries. Cole and Dunham tweaked hamstrings while Umoh had a sore shoulder.

"We were a little thin at receiver today," Johnson said. "We need all those guys out there. John is one of our most explosive receivers and Udom has continued to improve. We'll get them back when our trainers give their okay."

Also, senior tailback Jared Hawkins watched the two-hour session from the sidelines. The Commodores' top returning rusher missed all of spring practice after having offseason surgery on his foot.

"Yesterday I was back in full-go and today (the coaches) wanted to limit me a little bit to make sure I'm easing back into things," Hawkins said. "They don't want me to start back up right away.

"It's very important to be back. It's killing me to be on the sidelines every now and then. I'm itching and ready to go for the season."

Watch video (below) of Coach Johnson's post-practice press conference plus VUcommodores' interview with Hawkins. For a full recap of the action, click here.

Breaking it down

by Barca Blog - With preseason camp officially underway, we're another step closer to the Commodores opener against Western Carolina on September 5.

Gone are the days of summer conditioning. Now the coaches can get down to business. They'll use the time to thoroughly evaluate their roster on the field and then re-evaluate them in the film room to see if progress has been made since the offseason.

"You can really start coaching now," head coach Bobby Johnson said after Friday's session. "You've got a practice under your belt and you've got some film to show them. They'll be really surprised when they see some of their technique, which we can make better right off the bat. You get started and then you break it all down again to show them what they can improve on."

The next big step will be Tuesday when the Commodores are scheduled to put on full pads. NCAA rules require teams to practice four times before strapping on the gear, so the guys will spend the next three days participating in drills similar to today.

Watch the video below to see Bobby Johnson's post-practice press conference:

Johnson on 104.5 at 8:10 a.m. CT

by Leathers - Coach Johnson will appear as a guest on the Morning Zone Show at FM 104.5 Thursday morning.

Johnson, preparing for his eighth year at the helm of Vanderbilt football and coming off a 7-6 campaign in 2008, will appear on the show at 8:10 a.m. CT. He will join Voice of the Commodores Joe Fisher and sideline reporter Kevin Ingram.

Ingram is a co-host of the popular morning sports talk show while Fisher is subbing for regular hosts Mark Howard and Frank Wycheck. The Zone is Vanderbilt’s flagship radio station.

Listen live here

I've got a message for you

by Barca Blog - Coach Johnson has a direct message for you. Click Here!

(note -- it may take a few seconds for the video to appear on the bottom right side of your screen)

Audio: Johnson introduces captains

by Barca Blog - Head coach Bobby Johnson just met with the local media to introduce the Commodores' 2009 football captains. Click Here to listen to his official announcement.

Johnson to participate in 104.5 Radiothon

by Leathers - Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson will join forces with former Commodore basketball great Charles Davis and 104.5 The Zone personalities Thursday afternoon at the 17th annual Davis Foundation Radiothon in Nashville. This marks Johnson’s third year assisting the fund-raising effort.

Johnson will appear with Davis, radio hosts George Plaster and Willy Daunic, and Houston Chronicle NFL sportswriter John McClain from 6-8 p.m. CT, at Ferguson’s Bath & Kitchen Gallery. Ferguson’s is located next to Home Depot directly across from 100 Oaks Mall/Vanderbilt Medical Center off Interstate 65. The radiothon raises large sums of money for the Davis Foundation mission to provide resources and programs for inner-city kids in Nashville.

Click Here to listen to the radio broadcast live online.

Photo: Perdue at golf challenge

by Barca Blog - Here's one more photo, this time of Will Perdue at Tuesday's Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge golf tournament in Greensboro, Ga. Also, you'll notice Jon Barry, another former NBA player (back right), who represented Georgia Tech's team with football head coach Paul Johnson. For complete results, click here.
(Picture courtesy of Matt Garvey)

Photo: Johnson at golf challenge

by Barca Blog - Here's a photo of head coach Bobby Johnson at the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge golf tournament held Tuesday at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee. Johnson teamed with former Commodore basketball great Will Perdue. (Picture courtesy of Matt Garvey)

Johnson comments on trade

by Barca Blog - A short time ago, Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson reacted to the news that former Commodore Jay Cutler had been traded to the Chicago Bears.

“I’m very happy for Jay,” Johnson said. “I’m confident that Jay will do a great job for the Chicago Bears and I wish him the very best.”

Johnson: 'Cutler is a team guy'

by Barca Blog - What does Vanderbilt football head coach Bobby Johnson think of the situation between former Commodore quarterback Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos? Johnson made his stance clear during an interview with George Plaster and the 104.5 Sports Zone Wednesday.

“I’m just surprised by some of the things you see and read," Johnson said. "Jay Cutler is not a whiner.

“He was here for four years and he did everything we asked him to do every time we asked him. He went beyond that, and was loyal to a fault. He could have left here for the draft before his senior year but he stayed here and he stayed over the summers. He’d keep guys in his apartment so they could stay here over the summers to work. He is a team guy.”

To listen to the entire 104.5 interview, click here.

Opportunity knocks

By Barca Blog - With five letterwinners recovering from injuries (Myron Lewis, Broderick Stewart, Jared Hawkins, Brandon Bryant and John Stokes), the door is now open for younger guys on the roster to make a name for themselves during spring drills.

"That's one of the great things about having spring practice," head coach Bobby Johnson said Tuesday. "You have an opportunity to beat somebody out and if those guys aren't practicing, that gives you more reps and a better opportunity to do it. You've got to produce when you get the chance and we all know what Lou Gehrig did after Wally Pipp got hurt."

For a complete practice report from Tuesday plus free audio of Coach Johnson's press conference, click here. Also, we'll post a photo gallery on Wednesday, so stay logged on to VUcommodores.com.

Video: Music City Bowl Ceremony

By Barca Blog - If you weren't able to attend the basketball game last night, then watch the video below of the halftime ceremony honoring the 2008 Music City Bowl Champions. I'm already fired up about next season.

Just another day at the office

We'll, another signing class is in the books for the Commodores.

You know, I've always wondered what Signing Day is like for the coaching staff as they wait on each prospect to send in their National Letter of Intent.

I can't help but remember the scene from the movie Office Space when the office printer breaks down.

"PC Load Letter??!! What does that mean?"

Since it probably didn't go down like that, I thought I'd find out the real answer straight from Coach Johnson.

“We stared at the fax machine for about thirty minutes out of every hour,” Johnson quipped, “just waiting for a fax to come over.

“It’s kind of a relief. It’s kind of an excitement. You look forward to getting those guys in here because you have spent a lot of time with them. But it’s also the start of next year’s (recruiting), so you just continue on.

“You do have a lot of pride and satisfaction in bringing in a class that we think is very good. Our coaches work extremely hard at it. I can’t even tell you how many letters have been written, film has been watched, and games have been attended. It’s just a good feeling when you put all that work in and you get a guy that you really like. We really like all of these guys.

It was written in the stars

Stars. Stars. And more stars.

That's all you really seem to hear about on National Signing Day.

Was he underrated? Overrated? A steal? A stretch?

It's nice to speculate about the potential of the new signees, but you never truly know what you're going to get until they arrive on campus. You could get a diamond in the rough like Chris Williams, who was given a two-star assessment by Rivals.com, and ended up being a first-round pick in the NFL Draft last year.

And sure, this might end up being Coach Johnson's best class yet... and there's good reason to be excited, especially since he received 12 3-star commitments, the most in his tenure on West End.

But the star ratings really don't matter until the new bunch hits the field and tries to make that big jump from high school to college.

"It doesn't carry much significance with me," Johnson said of the star ratings at Wednesday's press conference. "It just matters how many stars that we got out of them when they get here. Their performance here is going to be the key. I think all of them have five-star capabilities.

"When you look at it, a lot of guys that come out of high school never get better, and a lot of guys come out and prove a great deal. I think we've probably had a bigger history of getting guys coming out and getting better here and thriving in our systems and taking advantage of the coaching they get here and they get better. We're looking for the stars when they get here."

Johnson's upcoming radio

Bobby Johnson is scheduled to comment of the Commodores' 2009 recruiting class in several Nashville area radio appearances today and tomorrow. Here's the tentative list (CT):

Wednesday

4:45 p.m. George Plaster, Willy Daunic and Darren McFarland at 104.5-FM The Zone.

5:15 p.m. Thom Abraham at 106.7-FM The Fan

5:30 p.m. Bill King and Joe Biddle at WNSR AM-560

Thursday

7:25 a.m. Greg Pogue and David Colemen on WNSR AM-560

8:10 a.m. 104.5-FM The Zone’s Morning Show with Mark Howard, Kevin Ingram and Frank Wycheck.

Johnson's upcoming radio appearances

Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson will appear on a pair of Nashville radio shows in the next two days.

Coach Johnson will appear Wednesday afternoon on the 104.5 The Zone’s “SportZone” show with co-hosts George Plaster, Willy Daunic and Darren McFarland.Johnson will join the hosts for a 45-minute segment starting at 3:15 p.m., during a remote show that will air from Blackstone Brewery on West End Avenue. Listen to 104.5 Live

On Thursday morning, Johnson will appear on WNSR AM-560 with co-hosts Greg Pogue and David Coleman. Johnson’s interview on AM-560 starts at 8:25 a.m. Listen to 560 Live