Didn't Vandy about 20-25 years ago (not 100% sure....from memory) get a new President who went the route of Ivy League schools and decided to go no scholarships for athletics? Then a number of years later dropped that...probably found out that they couldn't compete at all in the SEC. And when they did, they lowered the academic standards for athletes? Still higher than other SEC schools, but not as high as it used to be.A second hand story. I used to have a customer from Nashville. She went to the same hairdresser as the lady whose husband was the main fundraiser for Vandy. This is the story she said the fundraisers wife told her.
Ron Mercer was a high school senior in a Nashville area school and of course every school wanted him, including Vandy. His GPA was barely below Vandy standards, so Vandy would not lower the standards. The ladies husband got so many calls from Vandy boosters threatening to withhold donations that he had a heart attack from the stress.
Could be totally wrong.