Clark Lea addresses coaching carousel rumors he is part of: 'Not something you buy a ticket to'

Clark Lea didn’t have to ask for his name to be brought up in discussions about college football job openings. It simply happened. During an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show, the Vanderbilt head coach opened up on what it’s like hearing his name thrown around in coaching carousel conversations.

“Look, it’s what makes our game so special, is so many people are invested in it. They care so much about it,” Lea said. “The head coaches become figureheads and they become thumbpieces to judge when it’s not going well and kind of crown when it is going well. I appreciate the interest and the intrigue, I think, in general. I love being a part of something that will move people to a point of emotion that way. The carousel’s not something you buy a ticket to. So, you’re thrust on that thing whether you want to or not.

“This has been said a million times but when your program’s having success, there’s going to be interest taken in that. This has always been about building a championship program here, how you build something that’s sustainable. I think we’re in a great moment now. This moment, we need to leverage the momentum and take it somewhere where it can really be special. That’s where our focus has been.”

With eight head coach openings at the Power Four level, fans are regularly pitching their athletic administrations to poach Lea from Vanderbilt. After all, the 44-year-old head coach has turned Vanderbilt into a College Football Playoff contender in just five seasons.

Lea took the reins at Vanderbilt in 2021 after the Commodores posted a 0-9 record the previous season. In his debut campaign at the helm, Lea led Vanderbilt to a 2-10 record. Since then, the program has slowly progressed.

Its efforts culminated in a 7-6 campaign in 2024, with a win over No. 1 Alabama. Now, the Commodores are two wins away from potentially making their first CFP appearance in program history.

Lea and his players aren’t surprised. Ahead of this season, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia said the Commodores’ goal was to win the national championship. While fans poked fun at Pavia at the time, his comment doesn’t sound so outlandish now.

On Saturday, Clark Lea and his Commodores will square off against Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. CT. If they win, fans around the country will only be more desperate for their respective teams to hire Lea.