Ken Rogers: Bobby Johnson has championship vision for Vandy

HOOVER — Vanderbilt football coach Bobby Johnson was asked if some of the questions he fielded at SEC Media Days did or did not show respect for a program that won a bowl game last year.

To paraphrase, the coach said there are much more important things to worry about.

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“That’s not what we were seeking,” he said. “We weren’t seeking respect. We were seeking to do as good as we could possibly do in our program.”

Johnson and the Commodores had some pretty cool moments last year. Vanderbilt was 5-0 and ranked No. 13 in the country after it stunned Auburn 14-13.

Yes, the Commodores collapsed in the second half of the season — again. But they finished 6-6 and won the Music City Bowl over Boston College.

Vanderbilt center Bradley Vierling said one moment stood above the rest.

The Commodores took the “next step” last year and went to a bowl game. It was the school’s first bowl trip since 1982 — since before those players were even born.

A bowl trip was the Holy Grail for the program that had players, but not enough of them.

“You had guys crying, hugging, screaming, jumping up and down,” Vierling said, the smile lighting his face as he recalled the scene. “My favorite moment is
when we finally all got in the locker room and coach Johnson stood on the chair and just said, ‘We did it.’

“Everybody just finally got that monkey off their back. I’m getting chills just thinking about it.”

“I’m not that motivated by people patting you on the back and saying you’re doing real well,” Johnson said. “I like going back and talking to our team after we win games, talking to our fans when they meet you after an away game, they meet you at the stadium. Those kind of rewards are a whole lot better than, excuse me, the press.”

Johnson recalled the tough years as he was changing the talent — and the culture — in his program.

“I’m really proud of our administration for hanging in there with us,” he said. “We had three horrible years my first three years. We were, I think, 2-10, 2-10 and 2-9, then they gave me a 10-year contract extension.”

The coach remembers that loyalty. He also noted the bowl trip wasn’t just satisfying, “it was also necessary, I think, for our program to move forward.”
Vanderbilt isn’t going to finish ahead of Florida this year. But the Commodores have every reason to expect another bowl trip this year.

They have eight starters back on offense and nine return on a defense that Vierling said “carried us at times.”

“It was important for our program to do that,” Johnson said. “We needed to make that next step or we couldn’t prove to recruits, donors, fans that they need to support our program. That was extremely important. ... A lot of long-suffering Vanderbilt fans, the best thing about it is that they appreciated the effort of
our team last year. That meant a whole lot to me.”

If anything, Johnson has created a monster. The patience that paid off with a bowl victory may now change to expectations.

“I think the sky is the limit for Vanderbilt, to tell you the truth,” Johnson said. “When we prove that we can wins consistently, I think recruiting will pick up. ... We expect to compete for championships.”

Whoa. Easy, coach. How about a bowl trip away from home this year?