The Vanderbilt Commodores' dream 2025 season ended on a sour note. Vandy took on Iowa in the Reliaquest Bowl on Wednesday, and lost 34-27 to the Hawkeyes.
After the game, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea met with the media. At the beginning of his presser, the fifth-year head coach was talking about his 2025 team, including the players that made it a historic season for Vanderbilt. He was visibly emotional when talking about his players, and held back tears.
Here's everything to know about Lea's postgame presser following the Iowa loss.
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Clark Lea fights back tears after Iowa loss
Vanderbilt didn't play its best against Iowa on Wednesday. The Commodores trailed 21-3 midway through the third quarter, but made it a 24-17 game late in the quarter. Iowa's defense held Vandy to 10 points in the fourth, while scoring another 10 to win 34-27.The Hawkeyes defense sacked Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia four times, and the Commodores finished 0-for-2 on 4th down.
After the game, Clark Lea addressed the media. In his opening remarks, you could tell the coach was visibly holding back tears while discussing his players. Pavia and company helped Vandy finish with a first-ever 10-win season:
Clark Lea, fighting back tears, after Vanderbilt’s season-ending loss:
— Dylan Tovitz (@dtovitz) December 31, 2025
“This team set a new bar for the program, and I’m gonna miss those guys.”
🎥: pic.twitter.com/fb00TDNWYk
"That's what great about the arena, You're not guaranteed, you gotta go win it. And we didn't do that. But that doesn't take anything away from that group of players and that coaching staff and that support staff," Lea said, while pausing to collect himself. "What they've poured into this. We're disappointed but my emotion right now has nothing to do with that. It's the end.
"And this team has set a new bar for the program, and I'm going to miss those guys. Luckily we'll bring enough of them back to keep building and we'll find others to pull in and aim for more. And this group has set such a bar for us. First 10-win season in program history. That's the best football team in Vanderbilt football history. I want to make sure these guys are proud of that."
Lea getting emotional is no surprise. The Commodores had a dream season this year, including wins over ranked opponents like South Carolina, Missouri, LSU and Tennessee.
Vanderbilt will look a lot different in 2026 and beyond, but the program can build on what this team did. Wednesday's game marks the end of an era for Lea and his program, one that will live on in Commodore history.
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