Mike Wright's legacy? Leading Vanderbilt football through some of its darkest days | Estes

In recent history, Vanderbilt football has had better quarterbacks than you might think.

Jay Cutler was a first-round pick who played a dozen seasons in the NFL. Kyle Shurmur ran up all kinds of stats in college, setting records before trying his own hand at pro ball. Whit Taylor and Kurt Page were good in the 1980s. Greg Zolman was good in the early 2000s. Current SEC commentator Jordan Rodgers had his moments, too, going 9-4 in 2012.

Now that Mike Wright is leaving Vanderbilt with two seasons of eligibility remaining – rather than being A.J. Swann's likely backup moving forward – his career accomplishments won’t be celebrated like those other Vandy QBs.

His impact shouldn’t be overlooked, though.

Context matters. It can be easy to thrive when times are good. Wright survived when times were hideous for Vanderbilt and then not so wonderful for him personally. This season, Wright continued to lead when he was no longer the starting quarterback.

All the while, Wright acted and spoke as if nothing, including Vanderbilt's weekly bludgeonings, could destroy his spirit and confidence. Even if he didn't — couldn’t — know that success was right around the corner for the Commodores, he always sounded like he did. Always team-first. Always positive.

That made him a natural leader for a program that was in shambles amid the 2020 coaching change and COVID decimation. Lea lost his first game in 2021 to ETSU.

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Eventually, Wright's optimism was proven correct, though. How fitting was it that he was the quarterback – Swann was injured – out there in Lexington throwing the late touchdown pass for Vanderbilt to beat Kentucky, finally kicking down the door and winning an SEC game after three years. Then Wright quarterbacked the win over Florida, throwing three touchdowns.

Tennessee proved much too difficult, of course, in the season finale. With Wright, there were undeniable ups and downs in performance. He could look unstoppable one week and struggle badly the next.

But in the end, as he heads for greener pastures, you’re left summing his three years as follows: Wright left Vanderbilt football better than he found it. Behind the scenes, his leadership helped hold the program – and this roster – together enough for Clark Lea’s second team to get within one victory of a bowl game in a season where most projections were for two or three wins, maybe.

“We have been through tough times,” said Wright in Monday’s social-media post announcing his transfer, “and it was our love for one another that kept us together.”

This has the makings of the most active transfer-portal year ever for college football. There will be more for everyone, including Vanderbilt. The Commodores have also lost running back Ray Davis – boy, that one is gonna sting – in addition to other departures.

It made sense for Wright to join them, since Swann is set to enter 2023 as the presumed starter and Commodores’ QB of the future.

Wouldn’t have shocked me, either, if Wright had stayed. He’d done it before. As a freshman, Wright was behind starting quarterback Ken Seals. Then the coach who recruited him, Derek Mason, was fired. Wright had every reason to leave and didn’t waiver, saying quickly and clearly: “I chose Vanderbilt. I love this school.”

Took a long time, but the love affair ended with Monday’s announcement.

“We met with Mike, along with all our players, after the conclusion of the season,” Lea said Monday. “Following that meeting, Mike decided it was in his best interest to pursue a new opportunity, and we're incredibly supportive of him. Mike has been a valued member of our program both on and off the field. We're grateful for his time and contributions to Vanderbilt football.”

Wright ended up winning the job full-time in 2021 and entered 2022 as the unquestioned starter and captain. He represented Vanderbilt at SEC Media Days.

But a poor performance against Wake Forest in the third game prompted coaches to bench him in favor of Swann. In-house, the staff’s feeling at the time was less disappointment in Wright as it was excitement about the kind of quarterback they might have in Swann.

Vanderbilt did the right thing, by the way, in going ahead and finding out what Swann could do. If for no other reason, potential offensive recruits could watch him out there slinging passes and know he’d be throwing to them in Nashville.

It had to be a brutal twist for Wright, though. But by Lea’s account, Wright handled a difficult situation with the class and maturity that we’d come to expect from him.

“He's had a personally disappointing season,” Lea told me after the Kentucky win, “and I think the way he has handled that and the teammate he's been week-in and week-out and how he's helped A.J. early in his journey, I mean, Mike is a captain for us. He's modeled what it means to be a captain.”

The trajectory for Vanderbilt’s program is pointing up, and it would seem like better days are ahead in the near future. Once that happens, Wright – wherever he might be – will deserve credit for helping hold the program together during some of its darkest days.

Vanderbilt might have a better quarterback in Swann. But it is going to miss the one exiting now.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Gentry_Estes.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mike Wright's legacy? Leading Vanderbilt football through dark days