The Vanderbilt Commodores continued their impressive recruiting surge in mid-July as head coach Clark Lea and his staff was able to flip a Notre Dame commitment to the black and gold of the ‘Dores. In what is arguably their biggest recruiting win to date, Vandy was able to receive the pledge of 3-star edge rusher Darren Agu.
By Steve Wright
Darren Agu – who is out of Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochie School – originally committed to the Irish in April but has decided that the rebuilding project in Nashville is a better landing spot for his skills.
Agu is a two-way recruit in high school as he also plays tight end, but Vanderbilt likes his projection as an edge rusher. At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Agu has the lean frame that has come to define the hybrid position where goals A-Z are to get to the quarterback and make a play. Agu is highly regarded in scouting circles as he is seen as the No. 483 overall prospect in the class of 2022, the No. 24 edge rusher, and the No. 44 player in Georgia.
Watching the film of Agu below should get Vanderbilt fans excited as he seems like a player that a retooled defense could be built around. The best feature of Agu’s defense play is his closing speed over the final couple of yards. Multiple times on the video he covers that ground in an instant – whether closing or pursuing – making a big hit and a big play at the end of it. Agu shows the ability to beat linemen without making contact and when he is in the backfield he has the quick twitch agility to be able to read and react to where the ball is on a misdirection play. Agu needs to work a little on his ability to get off of the ball on the snap and if the Vandy coaches can bring that to his game they will have a stellar edge rusher on their hands.
