Drew Dickey injury update: Clark Lea reveals alarming news on Vanderbilt QB

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea revealed devastating news about two injured Commodores coming out of the team’s first bye week of the season. On Tuesday, Lea announced senior backup quarterback Drew Dickey would be out indefinitely while “dealing with some cardiac issues,” while freshman defensive back Vanzale Hinton is done for the season after suffering a torn ACL during the bye.

Dickey, who has appeared in just two games this season playing behind senior starter Diego Pavia, was recently diagnosed with an unspecified heart condition and is expected “to be out for the foreseeable future” while seeking further treatment. Dickey completed 1-of-2 passes in relief of Pavia in last month’s 70-21 blowout win vs. Georgia State for his only career attempts across four seasons in Nashville.

“Drew Dickey is dealing with some cardiac issues, so he’s going to be out for the foreseeable future,” Lea anounced during Tuesday’s weekly press conference. “We’re focused on getting him healthy and feeling good. Obviously that’s the priority.

“And then Van(zale) Hinton is going to have surgery on his ACL. This came out of the bye week, so two guys that will probably be out for the season. Vanzale for sure with surgery upcoming, and then Drew in all likelihood just because we’re going to make sure he’s healthy. And obvioulsy when you’re talking about cardiac issues, you’re talking about severe issues. So we’re going to take care of him. Otherwise we have some bumps and bruises, but on the whole, I think a healthy and excited team.”

Hinton has three total tackles and one forced fumble in five games this season, but didn’t see the field in Vanderbilt’s last game, a 30-14 loss at then-No. 10 Alabama. The 17th-ranked ‘Dores return to the field Saturday in a home game against new No. 10 LSU at 12 pm ET (ABC).

Clark Lea shares how Vanderbilt players responded since Alabama loss

Clark Lea and Vanderbilt have had plenty of time to think about the loss to Alabama. Coming off of a bye week, the Commodores head into a home matchup against No. 10 LSU looking to redeem themselves with a win.

Running back Sedrick Alexander said the team was “hungrier” after the loss against the Crimson Tide, hinting at an extra motivation heading into Saturday. Lea addressed those comments and that mindset, saying he likes how the players approached practice and remain focused on the ultimate goal in spite of the loss.

“I’ve been pleased with how we responded,” the coach said. “I think we came out and had a spirited bye week. I had fun last week with the guys out on the field. I thought we got meaningful work in, and then we were able to get going on Sunday. I really liked where the team was on Sunday. I think these guys are in the right head space.

“I understand what (Alexander) is saying. I don’t necessarily see it as ‘hungrier,’ I think we’re pretty mission-focused here. We feel the sting of a disappointment of a missed result, and we want to get back on the right side of that. So I think what he’s pointing out is it hurts.”

— On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.