Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Hannan / Sports Vandy Lands New Recruit, Mojo Keeps Risin'
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Wed, Jan 21, 2009 at 1:13 PM
Fresh off this month's victory in the Music City Bowl, and the first winning record in 25 years, the news keeps getting better for Vanderbilt. Yesterday, Brentwood Academy standout Thad McHaney reneged on a commitment to SEC rival Ole Miss in favor of the Commodores. That means with two weeks left to go before national signing day on February 4th, Vanderbilt already has 12 three-star recruits, three times the number they had in last year's class.
For some extra insight, we asked Rivals.com writer Jesse Johnson exactly what this means for Vandy. Johnson writes full time about the Commodores and, as such, is required to know the full names, profiles and brushing habits of every recruit.
Regarding McHaney, Johnson says he always wanted to go to Vandy but wasn't sure if he'd meet the schools high academic standards. He commited to Ole Miss to be safe, then switched when he got admitted. As for the other recruits who, collectively, make up arguably the best class in school history, most had been signed well before bowl season.
Johnson's argument (which we're inclined to trust, on account of him being far more enlightened on the subject) is that Vandy's success this year will be best measured by the talent they manage to land next year. So while the Music City Bowl, winning record and general positive vibes of the past six months may spell good things down the road, they're not directly responsible for today's good news.
Of course, perennial SEC powers like Florida, LSU, Georgia and (now) Alabama will continue to reload regardless of what Vandy does, so winning in-conference will always be a struggle. But either way you spin it, this looks like another step in the Commodores' long, slow climb to sustained respectability.
For some extra insight, we asked Rivals.com writer Jesse Johnson exactly what this means for Vandy. Johnson writes full time about the Commodores and, as such, is required to know the full names, profiles and brushing habits of every recruit.
Regarding McHaney, Johnson says he always wanted to go to Vandy but wasn't sure if he'd meet the schools high academic standards. He commited to Ole Miss to be safe, then switched when he got admitted. As for the other recruits who, collectively, make up arguably the best class in school history, most had been signed well before bowl season.
Johnson's argument (which we're inclined to trust, on account of him being far more enlightened on the subject) is that Vandy's success this year will be best measured by the talent they manage to land next year. So while the Music City Bowl, winning record and general positive vibes of the past six months may spell good things down the road, they're not directly responsible for today's good news.
Of course, perennial SEC powers like Florida, LSU, Georgia and (now) Alabama will continue to reload regardless of what Vandy does, so winning in-conference will always be a struggle. But either way you spin it, this looks like another step in the Commodores' long, slow climb to sustained respectability.
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