Vanderbilt extends Clark Lea ahead of key game against Tennessee

Clark Lea will be staying home. Vanderbilt announced a contract extension for Lea amid rumors and plenty of interest from other schools. The two sides shut all of that down this morning, keeping Lea in Nashville.

Lea has Vanderbilt looking for their tenth win of the season, which would be the first time ever in school history. He continues to build something legitimate in Nashville, as further evidenced by the very likely possibility of landing five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, ripping him away from Kirby Smart and Georgia.

There was nationwide interest in Lea, mainly regarding the Florida and LSU openings. Both sides continue to wait on a decision there from Lane Kiffin. Penn State was also rumored early on in the process.

However, Lea will stay at his alma mater instead and the former fullback will continue to build his program. Vanderbilt has significantly invested on the football side with facilities, and now obviously on the NIL side.

Lea is 25-35 overall through five seasons. The ‘Dores went 7-6 overall last season, winning the Birmingham Bowl and knocking off No. 1 Alabama earlier in the season. Looking for win No. 10 on Saturday, Vanderbilt could sneak into the College Football Playoff field if things fall their way.

Armed with a new contract and some big-time recruiting news, Vandy certainly has plenty of momentum rolling into the key recruiting month of December. A win in Knoxville would only throw gasoline on it.

Tennessee remains a 2.5 point favorite. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.