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Clark Lea reacts to decision by Vanderbilt RB Rocko Griffin to enter transfer portal
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Vanderbilt running back Rocko Griffin’s time with the Commodores football program has come to an end as he has entered the transfer portal, first reported by 247Sports and later confirmed on Twitter by Griffin himself.
Griffin’s decision comes after a decreased role in the Vandy offense, deemed a “coaches’ decision” by Clark Lea. After 4 touchdowns and 517 yards rushing in 9 games in 2021, Griffin had just 9 touches for 86 yards in 3 appearances in 2022.
Lea, on Monday, addressed the departure of Griffin during his weekly radio show.
“We love Rocko, and (we’re grateful for him). Grateful for all the work he has put into the program, and [we] wish him well and support him moving forward,” the 2nd-year Commodores head coach said. “It always is tough when you have a player that makes a decision to move on, but at the same time, we love the team that we have and we feel great about our strength moving forward.”
Vanderbilt has a stiff task ahead of it as it visits No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff from Sanford Stadium on the SEC Network.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
