Vanderbilt football: AJ Swann questionable for Florida, Clark Lea won't name starter
Vanderbilt football quarterback AJ Swann is questionable to play against Florida, coach Clark Lea said Tuesday.
Swann left the South Carolina game shortly before halftime with an undisclosed injury and missed Saturday's win against Kentucky, the team's first SEC win in over three years.
Even if Swann is cleared to return, Lea wouldn't say which quarterback will start against the Gators (6-4, 3-4 SEC) on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, SEC Network). Although Swann is still the starter, Lea said he may go with Mike Wright if Swann is not able to adequately practice prior to the game. For the first time in a long time, both quarterbacks have experience winning games for Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5).
On Vanderbilt's depth chart for the week, Wright was listed alongside Swann with an "or" designation.
"(We'll start) the person that gives us the best chance to win," Lea said. "And the reason I phrase it that way is, obviously AJ is our starting quarterback. But yet, there's a certain level of preparation, there's a certain level of investment that we expect each week to be prepared to play. ... Mike Wright is a proven winner for us. And he's also been the starter here. So we have complete confidence in Mike. And so, if AJ is available but hasn't had the time in the workshop, we'll we'll keep him as available but allow it to be Mike's show."
Lea did say that if Swann is cleared to return, he won't be shut down and he will be allowed to play. But the timeline for that is still unclear.
Injured offensive linemen Xavier Castillo and Ben Cox are likely out for the season, Lea said. Pass-rusher BJ Diakite, too, is targeting a return against Tennessee but there are doubts over whether that will happen.
Defensive lineman Daevion Davis, who has not played this year after suffering an injury toward the end of the 2021 season, is likely to return against the Vols, but likely will not play against the Gators.
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Vanderbilt supporting Virginia
Lea opened his press conference by expressing support for the University of Virginia, where three football players were killed in a shooting on Sunday. Vanderbilt defensive coordinator Nick Howell previously worked at Virginia, as did offensive quality control coach Kirk Garner.
Howell still plans to coach in Saturday's game. Lea said the team spent time Tuesday reflecting on the athletes who were killed.
"It's important to Nick that he honors his former players by serving his current players," Lea said. "And Nick has such a great heart and is just a fantastic mentor and coach. And we spend time this morning as a program having them reflect on the young men that were lost and what that means to them and giving us some perspective."
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football QB AJ Swann questionable vs. Florida
