SEC Football preview: Vanderbilt’s Caldwell take media by storm

story by Chris Rushing, College Sports Matchups (CSM is a content partner with The City Wire)

There’s no denying how difficult it is for a school like Vanderbilt to create headlines in athletics. After all, The Commodores are coming off a 2-10 showing in 2009 on the gridiron, but won the hearts of many across the nation in 2008 with a 7-6 final record. Bobby Johnson had finally broken through and crossed the bridge from near-misses to the postseason.

Then, just three weeks prior to opening fall camp for his ninth season, Johnson announced his retirement from VU. Suddenly, associate head coach and Johnson’s offensive line expert had been thrust into the spotlight as the new leader of the Vanderbilt football program.

So, who exactly is Robbie Caldwell? During his duration at the Southeastern Conference Media Days event last week in Hoover, Ala., he tried his best to answer that question.

“Very few people know me,” Caldwell explained. “So I’ve been behind the scenes for a long time. I think I’ve been an assistant for 30-something years. I really don’t know how many.”

“Last night I was opening the door for people and they gave me a tip. I thought, hey, that’s great. How can you get it any better than that?”

Don’t worry, the jokes don’t stop there. Rarely does a coach talk in the print ballroom long enough for Chuck Dunlap, the room’s moderator, to cut off all questions. That’s a feat in itself, but what about the fact that Caldwell received a standing ovation from the hacks in the room when he bowed off the stage?

“Pretty sure I just witnessed the best press conference in SEC history,” Dunlap tweeted shortly after Caldwell wrapped things up. “…loud applause from media when Caldwell was finished. Unreal.”

The bad news in all of Caldwell’s ranting that strayed from his time growing up on a farm in rural South Carolina to the intricacies of inseminating turkeys? Very little was said about the 2010 Vanderbilt football squad.

Even with Johnson, the Dores were facing a huge uphill battle to return to relevancy this season. The schedule is always brutal for VU, but this one could be the toughest in my lifetime for the SEC’s usual doormat.

Three of the four non-conference opponents on the slate went bowling in 2009. The Dores open against Northwestern at home, and Caldwell’s debut season will also feature home contests against Eastern Michigan, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Wake Forest. This makes for a great year to buy season tickets in Nashville, but it also doesn’t spell very many chances for Vandy to be victorious at the end of 60 minutes.

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble and speak ill of any team, but a 1-11 finish in 2010 is a very probable reality when the calendar turns to December.

Charged with keeping this from becoming reality is a roster filled with players like linebacker Chris Marve and John Stokes in addition to Warren Norman, the team’s star tailback.

DEFENSE
Marve and Stokes are easily the stars of the front seven on defense, which struggled against the run mightily in 2009. The defensive line could be seeing four new faces across the trenches as the only returning starter from ’09, Adam Smotherman, suffered a torn ACL and could miss most of his senior campaign.

Marve earned preseason second-team All-SEC honors last week in Hoover, and he would be first-team if he played at any other school in the league. His ability is not limited to the middle linebacker role he’s been slotted for in Nashville. Stokes is in his first year as a full-time starter, but he did earn that role for games against Ole Miss and Rice a year ago.

Jamie Graham has the tall task of replacing Myron Lewis, but nothing indicates Graham won’t be ready for that role after a few games under his belt. Defensive coordinator Jamie Bryant is excited about what Graham brings to the table for his unit and cannot wait to get him some more experience.

Casey Heyward will start opposite Graham at the right corner spot and brings a year’s worth of starting experience with him. Heyward made 58 stops in 2009, and his leadership will be a welcomed addition to the VU two-deep.

OFFENSE
Herb Hand will make the jump from Tulsa to the SEC to replace Caldwell on the assistant staff for the Dores as the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach. Hand kept the Golden Hurricane offense clicking after Gus Malzahn bolted to Auburn following Tulsa’s GMAC Bowl victory in January 2009. His main job will center on getting Norman the ball early and often.

As a receiver, running back and kickoff returner, Norman racked up just under 2,000 total yards in his freshman campaign, surpassing the conference record set by Heisman Trophy-winning legend Herschel Walker.  He averages 5.2 yards per tote, and his explosiveness was about the only thing that got Vandy on the scoreboard in 2009.

Larry Smith will be the starter at quarterback, and he has yet to live up to his tremendous potential coming out of Prattville (Ala.) High School three years ago. As a freshman, Smith was a perfect complement to seniors Chris Nickson and Mackenzie Adams, but the former Mr. Football in Alabama struggled when the offense was under his sole guidance as a sophomore. To get multiple victories this fall, Smith has to be more consistent and come close to increasing his 2009 production by 150% at least.

John Cole spent last season as Smith’s favorite target, hauling in 36 passes and a score. Udom Umoh is a speedster that the Commodores hope turns into a solid No. 2 receiver under Hand and Co.’s direction. If not, tight end Brandon Barden returns as the team’s second-leading receiver from last fall and could be a big target for Smith on short yardage situations.

Hand will dive right into his position coaching duties by training four new starters along the o-line. Only junior Kyle Fischer has started a game before, and he returns to his post as the No. 1 right guard. The rest of the five will be new names in new faces for a position that has been a strong point during the later portion of Johnson’s reign.

No one really knows for sure what went on to cause Johnson to retire. One thing was evident during his press conference announcing the move: he is healthy and has no immediate desire to return to anything in college athletics.

As for Caldwell, he owns an interim tag next to his title and could possibly be replaced at the end of the 2010 campaign. His thoughts?

“It’s going to be an exciting, exciting time for us,” Caldwell stated during his time in the spotlight. “I told my wife, if it’s two days or 20 years, I will now be able to say, ‘Hey, I was a head coach one time.’”

And he gained a ton of headlines for Vandy’s football program in the process.

• QUICK LOOK: Vanderbilt 2010
Starters Returning:  Offense — 5, Defense — 5, Specialist — 1
Key to the Team: Warren Norman, TB
Most likely to breakout: Larry Smith, QB
Most important game: vs. Tennessee, Nov. 20