TAMPA, Fla. -- Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea has not decided on his starting quarterback yet to replace Heisman finalist Diego Pavia. But no matter who it is, he is adamant about one thing.
"I don't actually believe that that player needs to perform the way that Diego performed," Lea told ESPN during Day 2 of SEC Media Days.
Pavia led Vanderbilt to a historic 10-3 season a year ago, as he put together the best year in school history -- shattering records with 3,192 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns while adding 862 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
On the heels of that season, Vanderbilt flipped the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country in Jared Curtis, and the focus of the quarterback competition throughout the offseason has focused squarely on him. But Curtis is among four quarterbacks -- including Blaze Berlowitz, Whit Muschamp and Jack Elliott -- vying for the starting job headed into fall camp.
"We have to focus on ways to strengthen as a team to take pressure off that position," Lea said. "I don't know how it's going to look. The story is yet to be written. I do know that I'm excited for it, and we'll be excited to kind of see it unfold through training camp."
Still, getting Curtis to switch his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt spoke volumes to Lea about how far the program has come since going 2-10 in 2021. When he took the podium at SEC Media Days the following season, he boldly declared that "We know in time Vanderbilt football will be the best program in the country."
"I think it's a great statement for our program to be able to go and recruit the No. 1 player in the country," Lea said. "I love the fact that he hails from Nashville. I think that has been the hardest ground for us to harvest because the echo chamber was so negative for so long. What makes me even more excited about that is there weren't any promises made.
"This wasn't about creating expectations for Jared to come in and step into a role. The promise was competition. What does that say about Jared? We talk about being a team of misfits. And I told him that his choice to come to Vanderbilt makes him a misfit, whether he likes it or not."
Lea said all the quarterbacks were live during the spring so they could simulate game situations as much as possible, and what he has seen so far from Curtis makes him think he's got "all the makings of someone who's going to have a really great career.
"Now we've got to be patient enough with him to make sure that he's not out there until he's ready."
Patience is often hard given the results-driven world college football teams live in right now. That is true for Vanderbilt, too, which is eager to prove this team is more than just Pavia headed into the season.
Lea repeatedly said Tuesday that he has not back down from what he said four years ago; He does not want to sustain success; he wants to elevate the program. "We're not finished," he said.
His players echoed that sentiment.
"We're still doubted right now, even though like we had two good years," receiver Junior Sherrill said. "But sometimes, you've got to pop out and show them."