Vanderbilt offense: better, worse or about the same? Why?

Better. Has to be, because things couldn’t get much worse after 2014. Karl Dorrell was a disaster as an offensive coordinator and now the Commodores will turn to former Wisconsin OC Andy Luwdig in his place. That’s good news for Ralph Webb. The redshirt sophomore had a big year in 2014, running for 907 yards as the team’s only consistent offensive threat. He’ll be running behind an offensive line that graduated just one starter this spring and he’s got the guy who helped turn Melvin Gordon into a maniac calling his plays.

Vanderbilt will need Webb to carry the offense in stretches thanks to the looming uncertainty of their quarterback situation. Patton Robinette left the team to focus on becoming an orthopedic surgeon (!), leaving Johnny McCrary, Wade Freebeck, Shawn Stankavage, and true freshman Kyle Shurmur to battle for the starting role. None of the first three contestants looked especially steady this spring and Shurmur is still in the lottery ticket phase of his development. McCrary has the arm to be a legit SEC quarterback, but he still struggles to adjust to defensive schemes in the college game. Whoever wins that QB battle will have his work cut out for him.

Vanderbilt defense: better worse or about the same? Why?

They’ll be better. Derek Mason is taking over playcalling duties on the defensive end, which will be a boon for this squad. Mason did this once last season, against Tennessee, and the end result was one of the best performances this defense strung together in 2014.

They’ll also be returning many of their key players. The defensive line will be stout thanks to the strong play of Caleb Azubike, Adam Butler, Nifae Lealao, and Jay Woods. Only three major contributors – Vince Taylor, Kyle Woestmann, and Barron Dixon – have graduated. This young team suffered through plenty of growing pains in 2014, but they should be better off in 2015 thanks to that experience.

You buying or selling this team in 2015? (How many games they winning this year?)

Selling until Derek Mason proves otherwise. The talent is there, but question marks at quarterback and receiver suggest that ugly games are looming over the 2015 season. A five-win season is viable and bowl eligibility isn’t impossible, but a lack of improvement on either side of the ball could have the Commodores looking at 3-9 once again.

Christian D’Andrea of Anchor of Gold provided the information for our Vanderbilt Football 2015 Spring recap. For more Vandy football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Christian on Twitter @TrainIsland  and Anchor of Gold @anchorofgold.