For some teams, bowl games outside of the playoffs can be a consolation prize that players aren’t as excited about. Instead of participating in bowl practices, some players are preparing for the NFL draft or looking for zero money in the transfer portal.

However, to date, this has not been the case with Vanderbilt football.

The Commodores (6-6) had most of their 2024 roster in Birmingham to prepare for Friday’s game (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). Five players who decided to transfer – Devin Lee, Will Faris, Taco Wright, Jeffrey Ugochukwu and Evan Herrmann – are still with the team.

“It means a lot to me just because I’m part of something that takes care of itself,” coach Clark Lea said after the team’s practice Thursday. “These guys really feel connected and passionate about what this team is and what we fight for. And tomorrow there will be a party.”

The Commodores will look for their first winning season since 2013 when they face Georgia Tech (7-5), a team that has had several transfers of its own.

“Every moment we spend together is special,” safety CJ Taylor said. “As Coach Lea said in the huddle: Tomorrow is the end of Team Four after the game. Just the real connections we’ve built along the way, this whole process is special.”

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Vanderbilt injury report: Pretty clean start to the Birmingham Bowl

Vanderbilt has not suffered any new major injuries since the end of the season, although the Commodores will be without a handful of players who were injured during the regular season. Most notable in this group are AJ Newberry and Zaylin Wood.

Running back Sedrick Alexander, who suffered a lower-body injury during the Ball State game that he played the remainder of the season, is one of the players who benefited from the extra rest.

“I’m doing great,” Alexander said. “I’m probably at my healthiest since I got injured at Ball State.”

Why the injunction against Diego Pavia won’t distract Vanderbilt football in the Birmingham Bowl

Vanderbilt had a busy week for reasons unrelated to the bowl game. Last week, a court ruling granted quarterback Diego Pavia an injunction granting him an additional year of eligibility to return to the Commodores in 2025. On Monday, the NCAA granted a blanket waiver to former junior college players who would have been on its team. Their final year of eligibility is 2024-25, paving the way for the return of offensive lineman Steven Hubbard.

Hubbard played guard most of the season, but was listed as the starter at quick tackle after Gunnar Hansen transferred to Florida State.

Although the team took time to celebrate the decisions, Lea said he preached to the team about the importance of staying focused rather than allowing the decision to become a distraction.

“I think the guys coming back have a lot of energy,” Lea said. “I think that they go beyond Diego and everyone who has decided to come back and that in some ways we build into what we’re going to do in the future.” I think the challenge or the possible distraction is Focusing too much on what’s next and not where we are right now is finishing well, finishing what we started.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football: Birmingham Bowl unusual for Clark Lea, Commodores