It was a blow when Quinndary Weatherspoon’s trifecta went through the net last night at the buzzer as State came back from a 17 point deficit and defeated us, 75-74 in Starkville last night. It was crushing actually. I felt like I got punched in the stomach when that shot went through the net. We had a shot at the rebound on the first miss by State, but couldn’t corral it and Weatherspoon, who played a phenomenal game for them with 24 points on four-ofsix from trifecta and some terrific defense on MFD in the second half, sank the deep three from the left corner.

We played really hard, but just couldn’t finish the game. But we’ve still got five regular season games left starting this Saturday against Georgia @ home, 11 AM CT/ Noon ET on ESPN2. Then we go to Florida next Tuesday night, Feb 23rd, for a 6 PM CT/7 PM ET tipoff on the SEC Network. We play UK at home, Saturday, Feb. 27th, at 3 PM CT/4 PM ET on CBS, then UT @ home, Tuesday, March 1st, @ 6 PM CT/7 PM ET on SEC Network, and finish off the season @ A&M Saturday, March 5th, with an 11 AM CT/Noon ET tipoff on ESPN2.

The SEC Tournament is at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville March 9th-13th, a Wednesday through a Sunday. The tournament will be televised by the SEC Network with the championship game Sunday at Noon CT/1 PM ET on ESPN. It would be nice to get a bye on the first day of the tournament.

We are now 15-11 overall and 7-6 in the SEC. It’s not over until we finish off the SEC tourney, so there is still time to make the NCAA’s.

Still believe in Wade, Dame, MFD, Jeff, Luke, Riley, Nolan, Josh, the whole team. MFD hit six threes last night, but they took him away early in the second half and we couldn’t seem to compensate. Wade is an awesome player, a leader on the team, the floor general, and a passionate VU basketball player. I love Wade. Sometimes, I wish he’d play a little more under control and not force things. You never want to take away Wade’s aggressiveness and passion to win, so maybe Kevin just keeps letting him loose. He’s done a good job taking care of the ball lately. When he does that, we are an outstanding team. Jeff Roberson has been super for us all season. Dame has been on fire lately. He had 20 and 10 last night. He’s been awesome. Luke has been very good. He’s just a key cog in our arsenal. We HAVE to have Luke on the court in crunch time. MFD is a serious marksman and a great player for us. He’s a good rebounder and an underrated, good defender. Riley and Nolan are giving us great hustle even though their threes aren’t falling like they usually do. Still believe that’ll happen. They give us such great hustle and hard nosed play that we have to have them on the court. We need both of them. They are such great team players.  Josh has given us a lot of good minutes. Still believe Josh can help us down the stretch. Guys like Joe Toye, Cam Justice and Samir Sehic can still help us down the stretch. Carter Josephs can give us some good minutes if needed.

We still have a very good team. Please keep the faith.

Corbs and I discussed the upcoming season and his aspirations for his 2016 team, which opens play Friday with a weekend home series at the Hawk against San Diego with first pitch @ 4 PM CT.

Our team has been predicted by the USA Today Coaches’ Poll as the No.3 team in the country in their preseason rankings. D-1 Baseball has us at No.3, and Baseball America has us at No.7. Florida is the unanimous choice at No.1 and Louisville is at No.2. Interestingly enough, we will play Louisville at home, Tuesday, May 10th, @ 6 PM CT, and then go to Florida that weekend, May 13th-15th. A lot of work ahead for this team with some good experienced guys in the field, some experience on the mound and some youth who will play a major role in this team’s fortunes this season.

This freshman class was the No.1 rated class in the country according to Perfect Game, and, FYI, our 2016 class, with four Top 100 guys and 16 commits, is No.2 in the country, our 2017 class, with 16 commits and 8 top 100 guys, is No.1, and our 2018 class, with 14 commits and 11 top 100 guys, is also No.1 in the country. Corbs just keeps recruiting better than anybody else in college baseball. We very well may lose some of these recruits to the draft as five of our commits for 2015, this freshman class, signed pro contracts, but we still had the best class in the country, and I expect that to hold true going forward.

It’s truly amazing the way Corbs recruits and that should never be taken for granted. He just has a way of connecting with young high school players, getting them to believe in them, and convincing them that Vanderbilt University is the place for them. The proof is in the pudding. We have five guys who are playing in the major league with more to come and it seems like every one of our guys to a man comes back to VU to get ready for their respective pro seasons. Corbs sticks with them in high school at VU and in their lives moving forward. He is truly a father figure to all of his young men who play for him. They love him like a father and he treats them all like they are his sons. Ask David Price, who may be the greatest proponent of Vanderbilt in the history of Vanderbilt athletics. David loves VU and we love him. Can’t wait for David’s 2016 season with the Sox.

And Corbs’ track record as a coach with three college world series appearances, six Super Regionals, a national title in 2014, a runner up finish last year  in a classic series with Virginia which was one hit away from us winning back to back national titles, in his 13 seasons at the helm speaks for itself. His ability to recruit and coach is better than anybody else in the country. I’m partial and loyal to Corbs and VU, but how can you argue with those results? His 14th VU baseball team  looks pretty riveting with the players returning, the arms we have on the mound, with our potential starters, middle guys and closers, and the experience of catchers Karl Ellison and Jason Delay behind the dish.

The other teams in the top 10 are A&M, UVA, Oregon State, Miami, Cal, Oklahoma State and UCLA depending on which poll you are looking at; that’s the Baseball America Poll, which has us at 7th. The Coaches’ Poll has LSU in at N0.5, A&M at No.4, us at No.3, Mississippi State at No.17, Arkansas at No. 22 and South Carolina at No. 23. D-1 has us at No.3, Florida at No.1, A&M at No.4, LSU at No.7, State at No. 15, South Carolina at No. 17 and Arkansas at No.25.

So we’re right there in the mix according to the writers and the coaches.

Our leading returning hitter is junior center fielder Bryan Reynolds, who hit .318 last season with five homers, 49 Ribeyes and 18 doubles. Bryan is awesome. He struggled for a while at the plate last year after having a banner freshman season, but got on a tear late last season and became the Reynolds we’ve been accustomed to seeing at VU. Bryan also plays terrific center field. In right field, we’ll have the phenomenal Jeren Kendall. Jeren hit .281 last season with eight long ones and 40 ribbies, 10 doubles and six triples. Jeren brings power and speed to the plate. I expect a .330 hitting year from Jeren with possible double digit homers and good RBI numbers.  Same for Reynolds, who could very well be the leader on this team along with Ellison and Delay. Bryan was 17-of-19 stealing bases and Jeren was 19-of-23. We have center and right well covered with these two. Jeren can go get it in right. Jeren, if you remember, hit the incredible two-run walk off homer against Cal State Fullerton in the bottom of the ninth in the first game of the CWS last season with us trailing 3-2 and Fullerton’s ace left hander facing him. Jeren, a left handed hitter, caught a fast ball and drove it over the right field wall. It was a magical hit by a magical player on what was a magical team that just missed from going back to back on national championships. We just came up a hair short against those guys from another state.

Left field is up for grabs. Ro Coleman has moved out to the outfield, so Ro could be an option. Love Ro’s heart and character, his dedication, his speed and I expect his bat to be good too. Tony Kemp-like in many ways. Maybe not as vocal of a leader as Tony, but I’m sure Ro has gained confidence now that he is a junior and he can lead. There are some younger guys that will be competing for the job as well, mainly freshmen. One of the freshmen could win the job, Ro could DH again and we’ll have Ro’s bat and his super speed on the base paths. Ro hit .295 last year. Two other guys to look at in left are sophomore Drake Parker and junior Nolan Rogers. Drake has amazing speed and great ability. He could be a guy to watch. Nolan could give us good help out there too.

****Note: Drake Parker is no longer on the team, but is completing his degree at VU. Good for Drake.****

In the infield we have the awesome Will Toffey at third. Will hit .294 last year with four homers and 49 Ribeyes as a freshman and added 20 doubles. He also played terrifically at the hot corner. Expecting huge things from Will. Tyler Campbell and Penn Murfee will battle it out for second base. Both are good fielders and Penn can really hit. Like both those guys to play a lot. First base and short are a little open right now. Liam Sabino, a sophomore, is a guy to look at at short. At first, we’ve got the Tyler Green and possibly Kyle Smith. Both are capable. Again, some of our talented freshmen will be in the mix. So we have some good experience and some inexperience, but a lot of talent in our infield and outfield. Reynolds, Kendall, Toffey and of course Ellison and Delay will be our leaders in the field. Ellison hit .215 last year, but I still like him as a hitter and he’s brilliant behind the plate with the pitchers. Delay hit .283 and really improved on defense. Feel good about both those guys calling the signals and at the plate. Karl can be a .280 hitter. He’s got a pretty good bat.

On the mound, Corbs says there are about seven guys who are in the mix to be weekend rotation guys. Look for Kyle Wright, Collin Snider, John Kilichowski Jordan Sheffield and Ben Bowden to be key players in the weekend rotation mix. One question is the health of freshman sensation pitcher from two years ago, Hayden Stone. Hayden was such an integral part of us winning the national championship two years ago and we really missed him last year. Hayden had Tommy John surgery last spring and he’s coming along. It remains to be seen when Hayden will be available. It takes eight to 12 months to recover from that surgery, so it may be early to mid March even April before we see Hayden pitching for us again. Would love to get his talent and leadership back. Love Hayden. We’ve got talented freshmen, too. Again without seeing them play, I don’t know exactly who will emerge as key guys in our pitching rotation either as starters, middle guys or closers out of our freshmen class. Those first several guys I mentioned, the veterans, will be our leaders on the hill this season. The freshmen have a lot of talent and some of them will contribute in a big way this season. Will have to watch the San Diego series and going forward to see who can help us this season.

We lost some great players in Dansby, Carson, Walker, Pfeif, Rhett Wiseman, and Zander, so we have some rebuilding/reloading to do. Dansby is now with the Braves, Carson is with the White Sox, Walker and Pfief are in the Dodgers organization, Rhett is with the Washington Nationals, and Zander is with the Minnesota Twins. I expect Dansby and Carson to be playing in the big leagues pretty soon. The other guys have a shot too in the next couple of years.

DP is going to be the number one guy for the BoSox. Already ordered my BoSox hat and ready to roll with DP at Fenway and competing for his new team. The BoSox are certainly relevant again in the postseason mix.  Sonny is firmly entrenched in Oakland for this season, but another season like last year, and Sonny will be a hot commodity and headed for a huge contract. I’m not sure if Sonny is a free agent or not after this season. Will check into that and get back to you. I know Sonny wants to have a good season this year and get the A’s back in the hunt for the postseason. Pedro and Mike Minor have not been picked up by teams, which is really ticking me off. Both are high quality big league players. Some team should pick each of them up. Corbs told me that both guys had babies in the offseason, so he’s most proud of Pedro and Mikey for that. Typical Corbs. He’s most interested in former players on a personal level moreso  than anything else. That is awesome for Pedro and Mike.

Corbs did say he expected Tony Kemp and Yaz to be in the big leagues soon; Tony with the Astros and Yaz with the Orioles. Ryan Flaherty is still a valuable player for the Orioles. Ready to see Tony and Yaz up there. They were superb players for us. I don’t know how there is any way possible that the Astros can keep Tony in the minors. He is lighting it up down there. So is Yaz in the O’s organization.

Our baseball team in 2016 will be right there in the mix in the SEC and nationally when all is said and done. We are so well coached, our kids are unreal, and they are highly talented baseball players. If the freshmen can come through some and our veterans,Reynolds, Kendall and Toffey, lead the way, and guys like Wright, Kilo, Sheffield, Bowden and Snider perform well and if we can get Hayden back and in good shape, we will have an outstanding baseball team that has a chance to once again go to Omaha and win it all. Can’t wait.

Sydney Campbell (above), Frances Altick (below left), and Astra Sharma (below right), will employ their elite talents as VU women’s tennis aims to excel once again

Those are the words of the phenomenal Geoff McDonald, who is now fully engaged in his 22nd year as VU women’s tennis coach. The team is the defending national champion and returns its top three players from last year’s elite national championship group. The 57 year old McDonald has taken VU teams to 11 Sweet 16’s, two Elite Eights, two Final Fours, two national championship appearances and last year’s crowning jewel, an NCAA championship.

But McDonald and the team are doing the polar opposite of resting on their past laurels. They are 6-2 this season already with wins over International Tennis Association top 10 teams Virginia and Stanford, which has won 17 national titles in their existence, and victories over top 25 teams Duke and Northwestern. We have lost twice to No.6 Ohio State, which McDonald calls “a great indoors team.” Maybe we’ll see them in an outdoor event in April-May. We are presently ranked fifth in the country by the ITA. Cal is No.1, UNC is No.2, Florida is No.3 and Georgia is No.4. The competition is fierce both in the SEC and nationally, but this Commodores squad is fully equipped to make their mark in 2016.

McDonald’s team has the highest GPA of any team in the school at 3.5. They come in at 7 AM in the morning to workout. Our top three players are Frances Altick, Sydney Campbell and Astra Sharma, who was amazing in the national championship match against UCLA last year. Frances is ranked 16th, Sydney is 20th and Astra is 22nd respectively in the country. Geoff says these three girls are very close to being world class players.

Geoff has talked to Corbs about the challenge of repeating and Corbs told him that’s not the focus. It’s about getting better each day, improving. Geoff carries that mantra to his 2016 team.

McDonald likes his  other players just as much as they will be key contributors to the team’s mission to be “peaking in April.” Georgina Sellyn was hurt last year, but played No.1 on the team two years ago, and McDonald calls her ” a secret weapon.” Senior Courtney Colton is a leader and a very fine player. Senior Ellie Yates is another leader. Freshman Fernanda Contreras and Summer Dvorak are highly talented newcomers who can help this team in doubles and in singles in certain key situations. Senior Maggie Leavell and sophomore Payton Robinette bring experience and leadership.

McDonald calls the SEC “the ultimate league” with Florida and Georgia having perennially great team. Geoff calls Mississippi State, Kentucky and LSU as “the best I’ve seen them.

“You can be 10th in the conference and be ranked 20th in the country,” McDonald adds.

Key national teams are Cal, UNC, UVA, Stanford, Ohio State, TCU and Texas A&M is also very good in the conference and nationally.

McDonald uses Stanford as the standard bearer for the ultimate national program. The Cardinal have won 17 national titles and their quarterfinal appearance last year was a down year for them.

“They have great weather and unbelievable academics, it’s an incredible place, McDonald says. “If they offer kids, the kids usually want to go there.”

But McDonald has elevated our program to that level.

“We’ve been good for a long time,” he says. “We have really good kids who can do the work here and represent the school well. Yeah, I think we are being discussed by the top recruits more and more.”

After going to Baylor this Saturday, where McDonald says, “We have good memories” as the team won the national title in Waco last year, we play Kentucky at home Sunday, March 6th, at 1 PM CT  to open conference play. Then we go to South Carolina (Wednesday, March 9th) and Florida (Saturday, March 12th). We then have home matches vs A&M, Thursday, March, 17th at 4 PM CT, LSU, Saturday, March, 19th, Noon CT, Tennessee, Thursday,March 24th @ 4 PM CT, and Georgia, Saturday, March 26th at Noon CT. Then we have four straight on the road @ State, Thursday, March 31st, Ole Miss, Saturday, April 2nd, Missouri, Friday April 8th, and  Arkansas, Sunday, April 10th, before coming home to complete the regular season against Auburn, Friday, April 15th at 4 PM CT, and Alabama, Sunday April 17th at 1 PM CT.

The SEC Tournament will be held in Baton Rouge, LA, starting Wednesday, April 20th. The NCAA Regionals will begin May 13th, a Friday, at a site to be determined. The Sweet 16 is Thursday, May 19th at Tulsa, OK. And the singles and doubles championships will be Wednesday, May 25th in Tulsa.

So a lot of work to do. The team has worked extremely hard with Strength and Conditioning Coach Emil Iankov, whom McDonald calls, “the best in the country.

“We were the fittest team in the country last year and we will be again this year. He brings an old school approach. He works our girls hard and intelligently.”

So the pieces are in place for another stellar year for the VU women’s tennis team. Can we repeat? Yes. Will we repeat? We’ve got a shot. With the work ethic of the girls, their unquestionable talent and our outstanding coaching by Geoff,  Associate Head coach Aleke Tsoubanos and Volunteer Assistant Kieran Burke, we’ve got all the tools in place to win a national championship.

As Corbs and our baseball team know, it’s an incredible grind to repeat. Geoff understands that too, but believes it can certainly be a special season for his team.

It’ll be thrilling to watch the girls matriculate in 2016. The blog will be on top of the girls’ progress. They deserve it. Geoff deserves it. He has built a program that is second to none nationally. They are a gem in Vanderbilt Athletics and deserve all the accolades that come their way this season.

It will be an electric 2016 season. Let’s enjoy the journey along with Geoff and his girls.

Coach Derek Mason and the staff brought in a terrific group of players into the fold in this year’s signing class. Fourteen of the signees were All-State players, and eight of them helped lead their respective teams to the state championship in their respective states. This class reminds me of the classes that Bobby Johnson signed in 2009 and 2010 that featured players like Wesley Johnson, Zac Stacy, JMatt, Andre Hal and Kenny Ladler, players that led us to  three straight bowl games from 2011-2013. I get the same feel for this year’s signing class along with last year’s signing class. Coach Mason is establishing a presence throughout the country with the Vanderbilt brand and we’ve gotten some key in-state Tennessee guys led this year by four star cornerback Joejuan Williams and high three-star quarterback Deuce Wallace. We got an excellent four-star lineman out of Hawaii, a top flight running back out of Florida, three talented receivers, two other excellent, big offensive linemen, three very solid players on the defensive line, two diamond in the rough linebackers, and great help in the secondary to go along with Williams. We also landed one of the top punters in the country. The film on each player looks superb. Here’s a look at each 2016 signee:

 1. Joejuan Williams

Four-star cornerback, 6’3″, 195, Father Ryan, Hendersonville, TN.

Joejuan did not play his senior year at Hendersonville because his appeal to transfer and play was denied. As a junior at Father Ryan High School in 2014, Joejuan registered 48 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Joejuan was highly recruited by Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss, MS. State and Michigan State. All of those schools offered him. Joejuan had decided on his official visit to VU that he was going to LSU until a Monday morning heart to heart with Coach Mason changed his mind. He signed with us and enrolled early in January. Joejuan will be competing in spring drills, which start Monday, February 22nd. The spring game will take place Friday, March 25th at 6:30 PM I’m pretty sure. Great things are expected out of Joejuan. We’re really going to like him. Terrific young man, too. He will be in the mix with Torren McGaster, Tre Herndon, Taurean Ferguson, Emmanuel Smith and Donovan Sheffield for the starting cornerback position. We’ll have excellent talent at that position. Emmanuel plays nickel back, but can also play corner. With the addition of Joejuan and our other cornerback signee, Elijah Hamilton, we will be loaded at that position. Joejuan will be a difference-maker/ game changer in our secondary.

2. “The Deuce”

Deuce Wallace is an 88, three-star quarterback by 247 Sports, Deuce is 6’2″, 205 pounds and is  out of Sevier County High School, in Sevierville, Tennessee. He was a multi-year captain and two year starting quarterback for the East Tennessee power. As a senior, Deuce passed for 3,505 yards and 37 TDs leading his Smoky Bears team to the 5A state title game. He was named two-time All-State by the Tennessee sportswriters. Deuce passed for 2,783 yards and 25 TDs his junior year. He started as a freshman and sophomore at Riverside Academy near New Orleans throwing for 4,508 yards and 35 TDs over a two year period. Deuce is already enrolled and will compete in the spring with Kyle Shurmur, Wade Freebeck, and Shawn Stankavage for the quarterback position. Deuce was a huge Vanderbilt proponent after he committed and lured some other key targets into the fold. He’s a Vanderbilt man through and through. Deuce selected VU over offers from LSU, Northwestern, Maryland, Wake and Central Florida among others. LSU came in really hard at the end, but Deuce stuck with us. We’re going to love the future at quarterback with Kyle, Wade, Stank and now Deuce. Like Kyle to be our guy next year if he stays healthy through the spring and summer, but really like Deuce to be the quarterback of the future once Kyle moves on to the next level. It may happen sooner than that depending on drills in the next two years. Deuce is accurate, as he completed 68% of his passes his senior year and threw only seven ints. Like what we’re getting here from the Deuce.

3. Zaire Jones

Zaire is an 87 three-star safety from Meridian, Mississippi. Zaire was a huge get for the program. He is 6 feet, 195, and is already enrolled and ready to attack spring drills with our other safeties already on the team led by studs Oren Burks and Ryan White. Zaire was captain of his team his senior year. As a senior, Jones helped Meridian to an 8-6 record and a semifinal appearance in the Class 6A Mississippi playoffs. He posted 92 tackles, three interceptions and had one fumble recovery. He was a 6A All-State selection and played in the heralded Alabama-Mississippi All Star Classic in a game Mississippi won for the first time in a while. As a junior at Meridian, Zaire had 63 tackles and one int. And as a sophomore, Zaireposted three interceptions and 49 tackles. He’s a high academic achiever as well like the rest of the class. Zaire selected VU over offers from Miss. State, Missouri, Cal, UVA and Indiana among others. Getting a really fine safety here in Zaire. He could be in line for some playing time this fall.

4. Sean Auwae

Sean is a four-star, 6’4″, 295 pound offensive lineman who is highly versatile, meaning he can play center, guard or tackle. Sean is from Kapolei, Hawaii, as Coach Mason has asserted his presence in Hawaii and with Polynesian players particularly, as we already have high four-star Nifae Lealeo on the team at defensive tackle. Nifae will be a junior next year. Josiah Sa’o, another Poly player, is in this 2016 class and I will talk about Josiah in a minute.

Sean was a two year captain for his Kapolei High School team. Kapolei is just west of Honolulu. He was a three year starter and as a starting center and offensive tackle his senior year, he recorded 33 pancake blocks, the second highest total in school history. He earned first team All-State honors his senior season and played in the Semper Fi All-American game, a highly acclaimed national high school all-star game in Carson, California sponsored by the Marine Corps, which features some of the top high school seniors in the country. Sean benches 405 pounds already and starts out his warmup to the tune of 225 pounds, 28 times. I believe he’ll be able to hold his own in the SEC. I watched Sean’s film and he absolutely destroys defensive linemen. Linebackers and secondary guys have no chance against him. Superb football player. We’re going to love Sean on the o line at Vanderbilt University. We’ve got good talent coming back on the line led by left tackle Andrew Jelks, who will be returning from a knee injury, but Sean could make his way onto the two deep this fall. Sean selected VU over offers from Mississippi State, UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, Utah, Louisville, BYU and Texas Tech among others.

5. Josiah Sa’o

A solid three star, 6’2″, 290 pound defensive linemen, Josiah is from San Diego California, Kearney High School. Josiah was a late addition to the class and a big pickup for first year defensive line coach C.J. Ah You. Josiah was a two year captain for his team and started on both the offensive and defensive lines. As a senior defensive tackle, he recorded 102 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. His team won the Central League title and reached the second round of the California Independent Football Division IV playoffs. There are so many football teams and classifications in California, that it’s hard for to say how that quantifies, but I watched film on Josiah and loved it. He can really get people down. He’s very strong. I almost liked him better on the offensive side of the ball as he absolutely buried defensive linemen and linebackers and looked like he loved doing it. But he’s got great stats on the defensive side of the ball so if that’s where Coach Mason wants Josiah, he’ll excel there. Excellent player from San Diego in Josiah Sa’o. Josiah chose VU over offers from Arizona, Ole Miss, Hawaii, UNLV and Navy among others.

6. Drew Birchmeier

The solid three-star from Midlothian, Virginia is a 6’4″, 280 pound defensive lineman. He was senior captain for Cosby High School and a four year starter for the public school just south of Richmond. Played defensive tackle and offensive tackle for Cosby, which started 0-3 this season, but finished the season with eight wins and a 6A state quarterfinal appearance. Drew is a strong, dominant kind of player on both sides of the ball. He’s another guy like Josiah, who could play on either offense or defense, but I think Coach Mason likes Drew on defense. He’s an honors student and his dad, Mark, played collegiately at Michigan State. Drew chose VU over offers from Virginia, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Temple, Harvard, Yale and Army among others.

7. Jackson Winrow

The three-star, 6’2″, 180 pound wide receiver from Shawnee, Oklahoma was a three-year starter and senior captain for the 5A school located east of Oklahoma City. As a senior, Jackson hauled in 52 passes for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns in a nine game season. He was named Class 5A All-State by the state coaches association. As a junior, Jackson had 720 yards receiving and six TDs. As a sophomore, Jackson had 26 receptions for 500 yards. He was a multi-year standout in basketball, too. He is a National Honor Society member. I watched film on Jackson and loved it. He’s a house call waiting to happen as his senior statistics for TDs would indicate. Jackson can catch the short ball and turn it into big yards, he has good hands for the intermediate pass, 15-20 yards, and is stellar catching the long ball. Jackson was a great late addition to this class. We are really going to like him. We have Trent Sherfield, Caleb Scott, Latevius Rayford and C.J. Duncan, who is returning from an Achilles injury, along with Ronald Monroe, who could be a stellar deep threat, and the awesome DeAndre Woods at tight end, who will be returning this season from injury after starting out the year in 2o15 on a tear. And Jackson will be an excellent player for us. He chose us over offers from Purdue and Tulsa. Love this pickup.

8. Elijah Hamilton

The three-star, 6’2″, 190 pound cornerback from Blessed Trinity Catholic in Roswell, Georgia was a multi-year captain for the powerful north Atlanta private school. As a senior db, he helped lead Blessed Trinity to a 13-1 record and the Class AAA state title game. Elijah posted 81 tackles, four interceptions, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries earning honorable mention All-State honors. His dad, Ruffin, had a six year career in the NFL playing for the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons. Elijah is an Honors student. Loved his film. Elijah is a ball hawk and made some beautiful interceptions on film. He’s also an excellent tackler in the open field. Elijah chose VU over Air Force, Navy, Army and others.

9. Braden Kopp

The three-star, 6’5″, 290 pound offensive tackle out of Houston Christian High School in Houston, TX, brings size and power to the VU offensive line. As a senior, Braden helped Houston Christian to a 6-4 overall mark and the Southwest Preparatory Conference playoffs. Braden was also a stellar basketball player before taking up football. He was the school’s all time leading rebounder.He was relatively new to football this season, but I watched his film and with some work with Strength Coach James Dobson and new offensive line coach Cameron Norcross, Braden can develop into an elite lineman for Vanderbilt football. Braden chose VU over Central Florida, Tulane, Rice, Army and Harvard. Florida came in late. Braden is an honors student.

10. Kalija Lipscomb

The three-star, 6’1″, 185 pound wide receiver our of Jesuit High School in N’awlins was a three-year starter for one of New Orleans’ private school powers. As a senior, Kalija caught 56 passes for 1,038 yards and 11 TDs helping lead Jesuit to the 5A playoffs. As a junior, Kalija caught 64 passes for 989 yards and 14 TDs helping the Blue Jays to a 14-3 record and a 5A state title, the first by the team since 1960. Kalija registered both of Jesuit’s TD catches in the championship game. He accumulated 130 receptions and 2,300 receiving yards in his three year career. I watched Kalija’s film and he’s another game changing player, who can make a house call and get massive yards after the catch. Another excellent receiving weapon for Offensive Coordinator Andy Ludwig and the offensive staff. Kalija picked VU over Nebraska, Arkansas, Northwestern and Louisiana Tech among others.

11. Donaven Tennyson

A three-star, 5’10”, 170 pound wide receiver out of Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, VA., Donaven is another game breaker like Jackson and Kalija and was our first receiver commit and one of our first commits for the 2016 class. He was a two year starter and helped Benedictine to back to back state championships. As a senior, Donaven hauled in 38 passes for 698 yards and 11 TDs. As a junior, he posted 41 receptions for 836 yards and eight TDs. He also returned three kicks for TDs as a junior and will make an excellent kick and punt returner at VU. Donaven can really motor. He WILL be making house calls at Vanderbilt University. Donaven chose us over Tennessee, Michigan State, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia among others. Really like these three guys in our receiving class.

12.  Devin Cochran

The high three-star, 6’7″, 310 pound offensive tackle from Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross, Georgia brings more brute strength and power to our offensive line. As a senior, Devin registered more than 50 pancake blocks, leading GAC to the Class AA state semifinals. He did not allow a single sack for a team that threw it 288 times. He was selected first team All-State by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and state sportswriters. Helped GAC to a 14-1 mark and an AA state championship his junior year. He’s a high academic achiever as well. Devin blasted opposing defensive players on film and enjoyed every second of it. He chose VU over Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Miami (FL) and Duke among others. Devin rounds out a stellar o line group of three joining Sean and Braden.

13. Austin Quillen

Our first commit of 2016, Austin is a 5’11”, 188 pound three-star safety from Oklahoma powerhouse Jenks High School. He won four varsity letters and was a three year starter for a program that captured four straight Class 6A state titles while Austin played there. As a senior linebacker-safety, Austin contributed seven quarterback sacks, five tackles for loss, and 93 tackles for the 11-1 Trojans. He missed some time due to injury his senior season, but was back for the state championship run at the end of the season. He was second team All-State his senior year. His junior year, on another state title team that went 11-2, he posted 103 tackles, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. As a sophomore, he helped Jenks to a 14-0 campaign registering 21 tackles and an interception. Austin selected VU over Iowa, Tulsa, Northwestern, Arizona, Texas Tech and Army among others. Stellar, tough safety added to the fold by Coach Mason, who loves his defensive backs.

14. Frank Coppet

Frank is a 5’11”, 180 pound three star safety out of perennial Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. Frank was the starting cornerback for the powerful South Florida school that won the 2015 Class 7A state championship in Florida. As a senior, Frank posted 96 total tackles and four interceptions taking one of those ints back to the house. Aquinas finished the season 13-1. He was named to the Class 7A first team All-State team. He was also an important player on the 2014 state championship team. Aquinas is not only a Florida powerhouse, it is a national powerhouse. Frank knows how to win. Frank is projected to be a safety at VU. His older brother, Fred Jr. was a standout running back at Bowling Green University, who just finished his Bowling Green career this past season. Frank selected VU over Illinois, Syracuse and Central Florida. Loved Frank’s film. He’s aggressive and a ball hawk. Excellent tackler as well.

15. Jamauri Wakefield

Jamauri is a 6’1″, 215 pound three-star out of Providence High School in Jacksonville, Florida who is built like an M-4 Sherman Tank. He is a super hoss. Jamauri was a two time team captain for Providence and three year starting running back. He was a two time Class 3A All-State selection. He accumulated 5,112 yards and 67 total touchdowns as a three year starter. His senior year, Jamauri rushed for 1,885 yards and 23 TDs. As a junior, he rushed for 2,537 yards and 37 TDs, including a record setting 469 yard effort in a regular season game. He rain for 690 yards and seven TDs as a sophomore. His style is powerful and he has take it to the house speed. I saw quite a few of his power runs and house calls on film. He’s outstanding. Jamauri is also a National Honor Society member. Jamauri selected us over Louisville, Georgia Tech, Oregon State, Wake Forest and Pitt among others. We’re going to love Jamauri, who will work well with Ralph Webb, Dallas Rivers and Josh Crawford. We’ll have quite a foursome in the backfield in 2016.

16. Cameron Tidd

Cameron is a 6’3″, 270 pound three-star defensive tackle from Greenwood, Indiana, Center Grove High School. He was a senior captain and four year starter at defensive tackle for the Indiana powerhouse school that went 14-0 and won the Class 6A state title in 2015. Cameron posted eight quarterback sacks, 19 tackles for loss and 66 total tackles. He earned first team All-State honors. He also blocked four field goals. As a junior, Cameron registered six tackles for loss and 45 tackles on a 9-4 Trojans squad that made the state semifinals. As a junior, Cameron captured the state individual title in the discus throw with a winning toss of 190’4″. Don’t know my discus distances that well, but that’s gotta be stellar. Cameron chose VU over Navy, Air Force and Bowling Green among others. Loved his film. Major disruptor on the defensive line. Coach Dobson will get a hold of Cameron in the weight room and get him built up for Coach Ah You to hone his power on the defensive front for years to come.

17. Turner Cockrell

Turner, a 6’5″, 215 pound three-star tight end out of Acworth, Georgia, Allatoona High School, was a two year starter and lead blocker for a run oriented attack. As a senior, Turner helped lead Allatoona to a 14-1 mark and a Class 5A state championship. Turner caught 13 passes and averaged 25.3 yards per reception along with three TDs. He set a school record with a 93 yard TD reception in the state semifinals. As a senior, Turner was first team All-State as selected by the Georgia Sportswriters. As a junior, he played a big role on a 14-1 team that lost in the 5A state championship game. Excellent receiver and maybe even a better blocker. Outstanding toughness. His father, Randy, who is a federal criminal investigator, was a four year linebacker at Virginia Tech. Turner selected VU over Pittsburgh, East Carolina and Air Force. His film is impressive with his blocking and his excellent pass catching skills though he didn’t get a ton of opportunities to catch the ball. But when he did, he made the most of those opportunities. Coach Ludwig will find a way to get him involved in the offense when he’s indoctrinated into the system. Part of a state championship team, and that tells you we got another winner.

18. Kenny Hebert

Kenny is a 6’3″, 21o pound linebacker out of New Orleans, Holy Cross High School. He’s rated as a two star, but he’s totally undervalued. Like Kenny’s length, his athletic ability, his motor and his toughness. As a senior linebacker, Kenny posted 47 solo tackles, five quarterback sacks, 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles for a team that advanced to the private school Division 1 quarterfinals. Kenny earned All Metro, All-District, and honorable mention All-State honors as a senior. He was a hurdler-sprinter on the track and field team. He’s a super athlete. Another young man Coach Dobson will get in the weight room and strengthen and new linebackers coach Chris Marve and Coach Mason will develop into a big time player for us. Kenny chose us over Memphis and Tulane. Kenny’s last name is pronounced A-bear. He is an Honors student.

19. Andre Mintze

Andre is a 6’3″, 225 pound linebacker out of Philly, PA, Imhotep Institute. Andre is another two-star, diamond in the rough. Sometimes these recruiting people don’t watch film because Andre is a game changing, violent football player, who can win games for you. Another winner in the fold. As a senior linebacker/defensive end, Andre helped lead the Panthers to a 15-0 mark and the Pennsylvania private school Class 3A state championship. He posted 14 sacks and 23 tackles for loss among his 53 tackles. Andre earned 3A All-State honors. I watched Dre’s film and he’s a beast, who plays with great passion and relentlessness. He has a turbo motor, and he’s extremely tough and will knock ball carriers or quarterbacks to the ground and enjoy every second of it. Andre is stellar in the classroom as well as he is a National Honor Society member. Dre chose VU over Pittsburgh, Duke and UConn among others.

20. Sam Loy

Sam is a 6’1″, 185 pound three-star punter out of San Clemente, California, Santa Margarita Catholic High School. A kicking service, Komblue Kicking Service, rated Sam a five star. He averaged 42 yards per punt as a senior and landed 15 of 35 attempts inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. I watched Sam’s film. Excellent hang time and distance. He boomed punts of 69 and 75 yards as a senior. He allowed just one kick return in 51 kickoffs, so he can kickoff  as well. We struggled with our punting and kicking in 2015, so Sam could win the job in August. Like this leg. He is another high academic achiever according to his bio. He hopes to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering. Wow. Sam chose Vanderbilt over Michigan, California, Army, Navy and Air Force. Jim Harbaugh came on strong after Sam late in the recruiting process, but Sam stuck with us.

Final note

We already have a commit for 2017 in solid three-star running back Lamont Atkins out of Lake Braddock High School in Burke, Virginia, just south of DC. I watched film on Lamont and loved it. He’s super fast, tough, a winner. He’s 5’11”, 190 pounds.

We have a 2018 commitment as well in four-star athlete Alontae Taylor out of Coffee Country Central in Manchester, Tennessee. Alonte is a 95 four-star and will be fighting people off for his services in the next two years.

Love both of these guys in our future classes. Should be an exciting recruiting time in the next several years. Now it’s time to get ready for spring ball and keep recruiting.

Brandt captured his eighth PGA tour title with a victory today at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Club in San Diego. Brandt has now won four times on California soil with victories in 2012 at the Farmers at Torrey Pines, at Pebble Beach in 2013 and last year, 2015, and today’s victory. He also has victories at the 2007 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, NC, the 2011 Heritage at Hilton Head, the 2012 Tour Championship at East Lake GC outside Atlanta, the year he won the Fed Ex Cup, and the RBC Canadian Open in 2013 in Ontario, Canada. Quite a resume Brandt has built.