Thoughts on recruiting

[BrentVU]

Vandy's #EarnItEvery24 class was limping along going into June, but what a June it has been! Eight commits in June so far for 2024 (and one for 2025). Almost all of these guys were guys who either came through the camps and/or scheduled official visits. The whole staff does an outstanding job being persuasive on these camp and visit weekends, and when they let a guy know they really want him, they are often successful in eliciting a commitment.

This is the final weekend of camp, so there could be a couple more commitments pending. Everybody takes a break during the week of the Fourth of July... then the college football hype cycle starts back with SEC Media Days coming to Nashville July 17-20.

Back to recruiting... a decision should be forthcoming soon for Cam Dooley (ATH from Valley, Ala.), so watch out for that one. He's narrowed his choices to a Top Ten, but it will obviously come down to Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Mizzou. Hard to say which way that one will go; he's taken visits to all three places, with Mizzou coming last.

Some may recall that last year (ahem) my record was a perfect 6-and-0 in predicting Vanderbilt's commitments before they happened. I'm ready to make my first prediction for this year's class... I predict that Gabriel Reliford, a 6-2 250 DE out of Shreveport will eventually come the Commodores' way.

[BrentVU]

Look for a decision soon for Johann Cardenas, the 4-star RB from St. Thomas Catholic... he says he's narrowed it down to VU and Mizzou.

[BrentVU]

A second 4-star RB, Jason Patterson of Sneads, Florida, (he's No. 275 on the ESPN 300) was on campus this weekend and evidently a bit wowed by all that he saw...

Land one of these two 4-star RBs, and it would be quite a boost to the class... land both of them and... (?)

[Lynchsr]

On the topic of recruiting Joe Rexrode had this to say in the Athletic. (To the best of my knowledge this isn’t premium content, so I will post. Please DM if not appropriate so I know for future reference )

Question.
Vanderbilt has recently picked us some commitments from players who attend private schools in east Tennessee. Coach Clark Lea and GM Barton Simmons are Nashville private school alumni. Is or will Vanderbilt become a contender for some of the blue-chip prospects coming out of the Tennessee private schools in the ’24 and ’25 class?

Rexrode’s response
Interesting question, but I don’t look at it that way. First of all, sure. Vanderbilt will contend for high-level prospects from private schools and get some. From talking to high school coaches in the area, private and public, Lea’s staff has done a terrific job of building relationships, of doing all the things you need to do to be taken seriously. But that has limitations. Vanderbilt needs to win. Vanderbilt is putting decades of being deficient on the facilities front behind it. And Vanderbilt needs to be as strong as possible in the NIL game. Recruiting has some momentum right now, but I think the most promising thing early in Lea’s tenure has been the retention of players this offseason. That’s what this program has to be. Evaluation, development, retention, great at all three.

[BrentVU]

Some may recall that last year (ahem) my record was a perfect 6-and-0 in predicting Vanderbilt's commitments before they happened. I'm ready to make my first prediction for this year's class... I predict that Gabriel Reliford, a 6-2 250 DE out of Shreveport will eventually come the Commodores' way.

Reliford has now narrowed down his list to three: Vandy, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M (ruling out Arizona State, Kansas State, Baylor, Memphis, and a host of others). He talks about his final three in a video below... listen and see what you think. He's making his announcement on Tuesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqe6uZPmg-w

[MikenNashville]

It sounds like, unless LSU comes calling, VU has a good chance with Reliford.

[MikenNashville]

IMO, on the recruiting front, it is crucial that we make a bowl game this year, I don’t know that we have to win it but I think we really need to make one to keep the recruiting momentum going.

[vandy05]

IMO, on the recruiting front, it is crucial that we make a bowl game this year, I don’t know that we have to win it but I think we really need to make one to keep the recruiting momentum going.

Certainly couldn't hurt!

[BrentVU]

Some may recall that last year (ahem) my record was a perfect 6-and-0 in predicting Vanderbilt's commitments before they happened. I'm ready to make my first prediction for this year's class... I predict that Gabriel Reliford, a 6-2 250 DE out of Shreveport will eventually come the Commodores' way.

Reliford committed Tuesday to Texas A&M... (sigh) there goes my perfect record for this season.

Actually, I didn't know he had made a late official visit to A&M, or I might have held off on that prediction. A&M makes a lot of sense for him, as it's much closer to Shreveport.

[BrentVU]

Another domino that will fall soon: Cameron Keys is a 4-star DB/ATH from A.C. Mosley HS in Panama City, FL... he raved about his official visit when he was here, but he has narrowed his list to VU, UK, and Mizzou... he is announcing on July 4... Nashville is the closest to home of those three, but we'll see...

[Not to be confused with Cam Dooley, who will also probably choose soon between those same three...]

Vandy has commitments from three cornerbacks already, but Keys is higher rated than all three... do you take a commitment from him if he wants to come? (Probably so.)