Vanderbilt wants more vocal leader in LB Nigel Bowden

Vanderbilt linebacker Nigel Bowden’s body had plenty of power, but his voice required more bass for the 2015 season.

“(My voice) has to come out hard and aggressive this year,” Bowden said. “We’re not here to be nice to each other.”

Bowden made the on-field calls for Vanderbilt’s defense as a redshirt freshman last season. But this year coach Derek Mason is running the defense, and he wants Bowden to project a more commanding tone in his voice.

That means each call must be deeper and with more authority.

“Since the beginning of time that position has been a leader. You go where you’re middle linebacker goes,” Mason said. “I just asked Nigel to step outside his comfort zone. … As he is authoritative, guys will start to understand who the leader is, and that’s a strong position.”

Bowden plays the position carrying the most optimism on the defense. The Commodores tout a talented crop of linebackers heading into the Sept. 3 opener against Western Kentucky, but Mason thought they needed a more vocal leader.

The result has been Bowden going through “a change hard not to see,” according to defensive end Caleb Azubike.

“He really has tried to deepen his voice. He’s become a loud and powerful guy out there,” Azubike said. “You can definitely hear him when he talks. You’ll almost be able to hear him from the stands.

“His voice has become so stern that you almost feel that you have to listen to him when he talks.”

It’s a natural progression for Bowden, who let his strong play speak more last year. In his debut season, he led Vanderbilt with 78 tackles to earn Freshman All-SEC honors.

Heading into his sophomore season, Bowden has grown closer to Mason. That also means Mason has critiqued him closely, including his on-field cadence to teammates.

“If I didn’t get (the call) out or if he feels like I didn’t say it loud enough or if I didn’t say it with enough enthusiasm, he gets on to me a lot,” Bowden said. “… (Mason) is a straight-forward guy. He’s going to keep it real with you. He’s not going to give you something that he doesn’t mean. That’s one thing I love about him.”

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.