Vanderbilt Football

Vanderbilt football play-by-play broadcaster Joe Fisher announced his resignation from the position on Twitter Thursday after he appeared to be intoxicated during Monday night's coaches show. 

I have had the honor of being the Voice of the Commodores for 23 years. Recently I went on the air representing Vanderbilt at a time when I should not have. I was unacceptable to me and to the university. I write this to tell you two things.

— Joe Fisher (@iamjoefisher) December 3, 2020

First, as of this morning I am checking myself into a rehab facility to address an issue I've struggled with for a long time. As a result I will be off the grid and out of pocket for a while. Second, I have resigned my position at Vanderbilt effective immediately.

— Joe Fisher (@iamjoefisher) December 3, 2020

I had hoped for a different resolution but that was not to be. I have wonderful memories and experiences with great coaches, players, staff, broadcasters and fans. I will cherish them always. God bless, I love you, and anchor down. Joe

— Joe Fisher (@iamjoefisher) December 3, 2020

Per Adam Sparks of the Nashville Tennessean, "Fisher's speech was slurred and scattered, and he repeated versions of the same question to interim football coach Todd Fitch on ESPN 102.5 The Game. The weekly hour-long show was pulled off the air after about 40 minutes."

The show was the first after former head coach Derek Mason was fired Sunday amid Vanderbilt's 0-8 start. 

Per Sparks, Fisher—who also did play-by-play for men's basketball and had been broadcasting Vanderbilt football for 23 years—will be replaced on the football broadcasts this season by Nashville radio broadcaster Willy Daunic. No announcements have been made regarding the basketball broadcasts.

Vanderbilt athletics director Candice Lee released the following statement regarding Fisher on Thursday:

We appreciate your service @joefishervu and will never forget the great moments and memories shared with Commodore Nation. We now applaud your courage. Focus on what matters most & take great care of yourself on this journey. We wish you all the best.

— Candice Storey Lee (@VandyAD) December 3, 2020

Vanderbilt's football game vs. Georgia, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed until Dec. 19 due to the Commodores' "football squad size and position availability falling below roster minimum requirements" amid the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries on the team.

Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller was named an SEC special teams player of the week after making history Saturday against Missouri:

#SECFB Special Teams Player of the Week: @SarahFuller_27

Full release » https://t.co/MHPZDmcYSR. pic.twitter.com/ffEkocH5HT

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 30, 2020

Fuller became the first woman to appear in a major conference football game when she kicked off to start the second half:

Sarah Fuller becomes the first woman to play in a Power Five game as Vanderbilt's kicker 🔥

Fuller is fresh off helping the Commodores soccer team win its first SEC tournament title since 1994.

What a moment.

(via @SECNetwork)pic.twitter.com/UFldZiJBgB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 28, 2020

A 41-0 Vanderbilt loss meant there were no other opportunities for the kicker despite serving as the team's primary player at the position.

The one play still turned heads, and even Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera praised the kick:

Congrats @SarahFuller_27 on making history. Well done executing a perfect mortar kick for no return. #PlayLikeAGirl https://t.co/ZNHpym7VI1

— Ron Rivera (@RonRivera80) November 28, 2020

Fuller joined the football team following a run as goalkeeper of the Vanderbilt women's soccer team, which won the SEC championship this season.

The Commodores coaching staff reached out for a tryout last week after being short-handed at the position because of COVID-19, and she earned her spot.

"Honestly, it's just so exciting," Fuller said after the game. "The fact that I can represent all the girls out there that have wanted to do this or thought about playing football or any sport really, and it encourages them to be able to step out and do something big like this, it's awesome."

Florida punt returner Kadarius Toney was named the conference's other special teams player of the week.

Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Storey Lee confirmed the school has fired head football coach Derek Mason.  

"On behalf of the entire Vanderbilt community, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Coach Mason for his many years of dedication and service leading our football program," Lee said.

Mason later issued a statement on his exit via a post on his Twitter account:

God bless and stay safe. 🙏🏿👊🏿#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/zrvpTPaGyb

— Derek Mason (@CoachDerekMason) November 29, 2020

The Commodores fell to 0-8 in 2020 following a 41-0 loss to Missouri on Saturday. Offensive coordinator Todd Fitch will take over as the interim head coach Saturday against Georgia and until a full-time successor is found.

Recruits in the 2021 class can begin signing from Dec. 16-18. Even if Vanderbilt doesn't have a new coach by then, Mason's firing at least provides a level of clarity for those on the Commodores' radar.

The same rules still apply. Signing day rules the silly season. Vandy got out in front of it by firing Derek Mason.

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) November 29, 2020

Derek Mason is out as Vanderbilt's coach. This gives Vanderbilt a chance to get in a coach before signing day. The timing makes sense from a football program perspective.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 29, 2020

"Vanderbilt plays Saturday at Georgia and then will have a rescheduled game against rival Tennessee on Dec. 12 or Dec. 19," The Athletic's Joe Rexrode wrote. "This gives committed prospects time to reconsider, though the source said Vanderbilt will work to stay in communication and try to keep the class together as much as possible for the incoming coach."

Vanderbilt sits 46th in 247Sports' composite rankings, which is only good for 12th in the SEC. Defensive tackle Marcus Bradley is the only 4-star commitment so far.

Mason appears to have taken the program as far as he could. This was his seventh year at the helm, and not once did the team finish with a winning record. The Commodores reached the Independence Bowl in 2016 and Texas Bowl in 2018, losing both.

The problem for Vanderbilt is that it will likely struggle to lure any established coaches, and younger coaches might only view it as a stepping stone to bigger opportunities.

James Franklin was only there for three years before an acrimonious departure for Penn State. Banner Society's Steven Godfrey explained how that was a reflection on the university's general investment in football:

"VU did nothing to capitalize on James Franklin's success, which is a major reason why he left. Don't simply assume that Penn State > Vandy; that's certainly true by most standard measurements used in coaching, but at the time, Franklin and his staff agonized over leaving an SEC East job they felt could be competitive (with help) for a PSU that was still in embers after the Paterno-Sandusky cover-up."

Perhaps this is a sign Vanderbilt is aiming higher than what it achieved with Mason. Even if you chalk the 2020 season up as an outlier because of the pandemic, he had enough time to implement a vision and build a roster to his preferences.

Now, it will be up to somebody else to energize the Commodores, lest they fall further behind the competition in the SEC.

When she made history Sunday by becoming the first woman to play in a Power Five conference football game, Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller also brought championship experience to the 0-8 Commodores, fresh off of a Southeastern Conference women's soccer title. 

In a halftime speech during Sunday's 41-0 loss to Missouri, Fuller said players on the football team weren't cheering each other on, and they needed to adjust their mentality if they wanted similar success.

"If I'm going to be honest, I was a little pissed off at how quiet everybody was on the sideline," she said, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "We made a first down and I was the only one cheering, and I was like, 'What the heck? What's going on?'" 

I just got off a Zoom call with Vanderbilt kicker Sarah Fuller, who detailed the halftime speech she gave and the reception it received.

"I had coaches come up to me and say 'I’ve been wanting to say that for awhile now,'" Fuller said. pic.twitter.com/AjoEEjJbeh

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) November 29, 2020

Per Cronin, Fuller said coaches told her they had been wanting to share a similar message. 

"I was like, 'We need to be cheering each other on. This is how you win games, this is how you get better is by calling each other out for stuff, and I'm going to call you guys out. We need to be supporting one another. If we get a first down, if an interception happens, it's our fault. We need to be lifting each other up,'" Fuller said.

Fuller, a Texas native, got the call Monday to try out for the Commodores, who were missing players because of COVID-19. She was the only kicker the team took to Columbia, Missouri, to face the Tigers, according to ESPN's Alex Scarborough. 

Per Scarborough, Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason said the team would "love to have her" if Fuller decides she wants to stay with the team this season. 

"I think there was something bigger at work here," he said. "I've always believed that women are capable of doing fantastic things. I know we think of football as being a man's sport, and it is for the most part—99.9 percent of it is dominated by males, if not close to 100. But today she broke some history; she made some history."

Fuller, who will play soccer as a graduate transfer at North Texas next fall, said she still wants to score a field goal or an extra point. 

She became the third woman to appear in an FBS football game, after New Mexico's Katie Hnida in 2003 and Kent State's April Goss in 2015. 

Like everything else in 2020, the moment didn't go as planned. It took time and patience. Specifically, it took a full half of anxious, lopsided football for the breakthrough to come, though it eventually did. 

When Sarah Fuller finally trotted out onto Faurot Field at the start of the second half of Saturday's matchup between Vanderbilt and Missouri, with PLAY LIKE A GIRL etched on the back and bottom of her gold helmet, with a blowout in motion, nothing else seemed to matter.  

Not the score, nor the quality of the kick itself. Not the cancellations and postponements that have afflicted the sport this season and specifically this week. Not the coronavirus pandemic, if only for an instant. 

In that moment, on the day college football announced its 100th postponed or canceled football game of the season because of COVID-19, the pandemic finally gave us something to appreciate. 

When Fuller uncorked a successful squib kick to start the second half, she became the first female football player to ever appear in a Power Five and SEC football game.

"I think it's amazing and incredible. But I'm also trying to separate that because I know this is a job I need to do, and I want to help the team out, and I want to do the best that I can," Fuller told Chad Bishop of the school website earlier in the week. "Placing that historical aspect aside just helps me focus in on what I need to do. I don't want to let them down in any way." 

Just a week ago, Fuller's athletic focus was on Vanderbilt soccer. In fact, the Commodores' senior goalkeeper helped lead the program to an SEC Championship—its first title since 1994.  

As the euphoria of the moment set in, another opportunity appeared. With COVID testing and contact tracing greatly impacting Vanderbilt football's special teams unit, she was approached about kicking for the football team against Missouri. 

She eagerly accepted. And Saturday, she was the only kicker Vanderbilt had available. 

"It's an honor they called on me to be able to do this and help them out," she added.  

From the start of the broadcast, she was the focus, and understandably so. The camera regularly found her, waiting for her time on the sideline while wearing No. 32—the same jersey number she wore in soccer. It found her family as well, sitting in the stands and wearing masks with PLAY LIKE A GIRL on one side and her jersey number on the other.

For a game that was never really close, it was surprisingly tense. The question surrounding when her debut would take place—with Vanderbilt getting the ball to start the game—persisted. 

When the Commodores crossed midfield in the first half, the moment grew closer. But each time they inched toward to the red zone, they seemed to go backward. A lackluster, points-less first half delayed Fuller's debut to the second-half kickoff.

Shortly before the second half began, with Missouri leading 21-0, the limited crowd in Columbia, Missouri, erupted as she took the field. Her only kick was a low line drive toward the right side of the field near the sideline—a designed squib kick that was executed perfectly. A Missouri player corralled the ball near the 35-yard line and fell to the ground.  

"I was really calm," Fuller said on the broadcast after the game. "The SEC Championship was more stressful, if I'm being honest. I was really excited to step onto the field and do my thing."

HISTORY MADE 👏@VandyFootball’s Sarah Fuller is the first woman in college football history to play in a Power 5 game. pic.twitter.com/zhSaLqa3Bg

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 28, 2020

Unfortunately, Vanderbilt was never in a position to let Fuller try a field goal, extra point or another kickoff for the rest of the game. Missouri dominated, shutting out the Commodores 41-0. 

Despite the lopsided nature of the contest, this was still an important moment. And while some thought this was some sort of way for a winless program to garner positive PR, Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason quickly dispelled that notion in his postgame interview. 

"I'm not about making statements," Mason said. "This was out of necessity. This was the most viable option. She could have very easily said no." 

This was the product of a year that has been in constant disarray. A year that has pushed college football to the brink. And on a Saturday when postponements and cancellations loomed large—with a growing wave of uncertainty surrounding the rest of the season—this was a welcomed bit of history to emerge from the madness.

It was only a kick. Maybe seven or eight seconds of a 60-minute game that never was within reach. But the impact cannot possibly be tied to a scoreboard or a stopwatch.

This was so much more than that. And as Fuller finished an interview on the field, looking completely comfortable in a sport she picked up six days prior, she perfectly summed up what it meant. 

"I want to tell all the girls out there you can do anything you set your mind to," she said. "You really can. If you have that mentality all the way through, you can do big things."

Next Saturday, Vanderbilt is scheduled to play Georgia. With uncertainty surrounding the Commodores special teams and the contact-tracing timeline, Mason was asked whether Fuller could once again be in uniform next weekend.  

"That's really of her choosing," Mason said. "If she wants to kick and she's available, we would love to have her."

Perhaps Fuller will get another moment. Perhaps even more than one this time. In the coming days, the viability of another appearance will become clear. 

Or, maybe this was it: a single kickoff in a game that was over shortly after it began. And if this was it, what a moment it was.  

Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play in a Power Five conference football game Saturday against Missouri.

After being added to Vanderbilt's roster Friday, Fuller's first appearance came when she made the second-half kickoff for the Commodores:

Making history. #PlayLikeAGirl | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/57ffStmje9

— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) November 28, 2020

Head coach Derek Mason told reporters this week that Fuller was working with the team during practice because of COVID-19 concerns with the roster.

"Any week in college football, you are sort of subject to testing. And then based on testing, you've got to figure out options where you go," Mason said, via Adam Sparks of the Nashville Tennessean. "For us, talking to Sarah, she's a champ, and no pun intended. [She's] just coming off an SEC championship in soccer."

Fuller tweeted a picture of herself in a Vanderbilt football uniform Friday:

Let’s make history. #PlayLikeAGirl #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/3SgBP1qZru

— Sarah Fuller (@_Sarah_Fuller) November 27, 2020

A senior, Fuller has played four seasons on the Vanderbilt women's soccer team. She started nine of the team's 12 games this season, posting a 7-2 record and starting all four of Vandy's games in its run to the SEC title.

Sarah Fuller will make history Saturday when she becomes the first woman to play for a Power Five college football team.

Vanderbilt announced Friday that Fuller will serve as its place-kicker for tomorrow's game against Missouri:

Sarah Fuller will suit up as the kicker for the Vanderbilt football team tomorrow

If she plays, she’ll be the first woman to log a snap in a Power Five game 🔥

(via @SarahFuller_27, @VandyFootball) pic.twitter.com/yyvKaZLAxz

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 27, 2020

On Wednesday, Commodores head coach Derek Mason told Nashville's 102.5 The Game (h/t ESPN's Alex Scarborough) that Fuller "is an option for us" with many of the team's specialists quarantined because of COVID-19 testing.

"She's got a strong leg," he added. "We'll see what that yields. ... Sarah's an option. She seems to be a pretty good option, so we'll figure out what that looks like on Saturday."

Fuller is in her senior year at Vanderbilt. She has spent four years playing on the soccer team as a goalkeeper and started nine of 12 games during the 2020 fall season, including all four games as the Commodores won the SEC tournament this month. The Texas native also received SEC academic honors in each of her first three years at the school.

While female college football players are uncommon, there have been a number of them through the years. Central Methodist University safety Toni Harris is believed to be the first female scholarship player in college football history, per CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd.

Katie Hnida was the first woman to score points in a college football game for the University of New Mexico in 2003. April Goss of Kent State became the second in 2015.

Fuller will look to help Vanderbilt get its first win of the season against Missouri at Faurot Field.

Vanderbilt women's soccer player Sarah Fuller is "an option" to serve as the football team's place-kicker, coach Derek Mason said Wednesday.

"Right now, we're just looking at all options," Mason told Robby & Rexrode on 102.5 The Game. He added: "For us, talking to Sarah, she's a champ, and no pun intended—just coming off an SEC championship in soccer. … She's a complete competitor. She's an option for us. Right now, that's where we sit."

Fuller practiced with the team Tuesday. Vanderbilt is currently without a place-kicker after several special teams players were placed into quarantine because of COVID-19 tests.

It's believed Fuller would be the first woman to compete at a Power Five school.

The senior served as the starting goalkeeper for the Commodores' women's soccer team, which won the 2020 SEC tournament Sunday.

The University of New Mexico's Katie Hnida was the first woman to play in a Division I college football game in 2002. Since then, several women have played collegiately at the kicker position.

The Commodores are scheduled to play Missouri on Saturday.

The scheduled college football matchup between Vanderbilt and Missouri for Saturday, Oct. 17 has been postponed until Dec. 12, the conference announced Monday.  

NEWS: The Vanderbilt at Missouri FB game of Oct. 17 is postponed due to positive tests & subsequent quarantine of individuals within the Vanderbilt FB program. The action is consistent with SEC COVID-19 management requirements. The game is tentatively rescheduled for Dec. 12.

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) October 12, 2020

The news doesn't come as a major surprise after Vanderbilt was only able to dress 56 scholarship players for a 41-7 loss to South Carolina this past weekend, only three players above the NCAA's required minimum of 53. 

The Commodores are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, though the school hadn't publicly acknowledged as much before the SEC's announcement Monday. 

"The league and universities have been prepared for the likelihood of disruptions within the season while we all navigate the various challenges and complexities of competing during a global pandemic," Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee said in a statement, per Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports. "As always, we are committed to taking whatever steps necessary for the health and safety of our students and community."

Players like Donovan Kaufman, Ja'Veon Marlow, Dashaun Jerkins, Alston Orji and Randall Haynie all missed the Gamecocks matchup. Quarterbacks Jeremy Moussa and Danny Clark also had to quarantine during the preseason, while Oren Milstein, Feleti Afemui, Cole Clemens, Bryce Bailey, Jonathan Stewart and Stephen Spanellis all opted out of the season because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

It's been a tough go for the Commodores in the 2020 season as they attempt to navigate the complications inherent in attempting to play football during a global pandemic with unpaid amateur athletes. Head coach Derek Mason spoke about the team's short-handed roster against South Carolina, per Michael Gallagher of the Nashville Post:

"You can't control everything, and I think that's probably the toughest thing for college coaches nowadays—the inability to control everything is what we're used to, and we're sitting in this new normal of every day is a new day. What you've got to do is make sure that you come in with your plan, figure out exactly what you need to do, let's get through the day and let's fight to see another day."

Vanderbilt has started the season 0-3 following losses to Texas A&M, LSU and South Carolina. Missouri is 1-2 with losses to Alabama and Tennessee, though it shocked the college football world with a 45-41 upset over LSU this past weekend. 

Former Vanderbilt linebacker Charles Wright continued to have access to the school's campus and the Commodores' football facilities following his expulsion after being found responsible for sexual assault by a school investigation, according to the Tennessean's Adam Sparks. 

The results of a Title IX investigation by Vanderbilt determined Wright violated the sexual misconduct policy, and he was expelled on Oct. 25, 2018.

However, Wright was allowed to attend the Commodores' pro day ahead of the 2019 NFL draft, according to documents and emails obtained by Sparks. The woman who was sexually assaulted was a student equipment manager. She was originally slated to take part in the showcase "but was moved to a different building away from the event to accommodate Wright's participation," per Sparks.

In a series of tweets, Regan Siems shared her story. She said Wright "preyed on my naivety, got me drunk, sexually assaulted and raped me" when she was a freshman. Per Sparks, Nashville District Attorney Mike Bottoms cited insufficient evidence for why his office didn't pursue a criminal case against Wright.

https://twitter.com/ReganSiems/status/1274424722583949313

https://twitter.com/ReganSiems/status/1274424725431881728

https://twitter.com/ReganSiems/status/1274424730418905088

Siems noted how Wright appealed his expulsion, which allowed him to stay on the university campus.

Wright made five appearances during the 2018 season; his final game was a 31-27 victory over Tennessee State on Sept. 29, 2018.

Rather than referencing Wright's ongoing Title IX investigation, Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason told reporters the senior had been dealing with a leg injury. Siems referenced the injury in her tweets and said it provided Wright with a pretense to continue using the football facilities:

https://twitter.com/ReganSiems/status/1274424727969374211

Vanderbilt's appeals panel affirmed his expulsion in February 2019, one month before the pro day. Siems told Sparks she reached out to Project Safe, the school's center for sexual misconduct prevention and response, about Wright's involvement. By the time Vanderbilt's Title IX office worked to remove Wright, Siems said the workout had already ended.

"I felt really betrayed," Siems told Sparks. "Not a single person was looking out for me. And no one ever apologized."