[1] Lea remained in Nashville and finished his college career at Vanderbilt, where he played fullback for the Commodores his final two years.
[6] In 2009, Lea returned to UCLA as a graduate assistant under head coach Rick Neuheisel.
[14][15] In January 2018, Lea was promoted to defensive coordinator, replacing Mike Elko, who departed to serve in the same role at Texas A&M.
[16] On December 14, 2020, Lea was named the 29th head football coach at Vanderbilt University, replacing Derek Mason.
[19] The Commodores defeated SEC East rivals Kentucky and Florida to highlight the 2022 season.