On Campus in Nashville - After staging a final practice before his squad moves into full pads, Vanderbilt Head Coach said he was pleased with the Commodores Thursday night following a two-hour, 30-minute session.

"They’ve been working extremely hard. In that respect, the (Thursday) practice was very similar to the previous practices," Johnson said. "I'm looking forward to seeing them in full pads and seeing how they respond. I'll be looking for our guys to really concentrate on what they're doing and pay attention to practicing the right way."

The Commodores' first practice in full pads is scheduled Friday afternoon at the John Rich Practice Complex. The team's first two-a-day session is scheduled Saturday, with a single practice planned Sunday in conjunction with Dore Jam IV, the official Vanderbilt fan day activity.

On Thursday, Johnson put the Commodores through a session very similar to the previous day, one that focused on individual fundamentals and team teaching. Nearly an hour of the session involved limited contact during one- on-one, seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills.

During the first four practices, the coaching staff has spent extra time trying to bring the squad's newcomers up to speed with the Commodore playbook. "That was an important goal of the opening days of practice," the head coach said. "We feel like we might need some of the younger players to help us with depth in a few positions. As a staff, we're trying to bring them along as quickly as we can. "At the same time, I've been very impressed with our seniors, and how they're working with the young guys. They're helping out and that's going to make us a better team overall," Johnson said.

Larry Leathers Football/Track & Field Contact Vanderbilt Media Relations