Star Vanderbilt Commit Admits Alabama Upset Played a Huge Role in His Decision
Vanderbilt was able to breathe a sigh of relief when 2025 commit Austin Howard signed with them.
For a while, it looked like they weren't going to land the talented in-state prospect following his decision to decommit from the program in June 2024 and commit to Mississippi State.
But the coaching staff continued to stay in communication with Howard, maintaining the strong relationships they had with the three-star linebacker that made him give a pledge to the Commodores in the first place.
Then, in October, he flipped his commitment again, this time leaving the class of Mississippi State and jumping back on board with Vanderbilt.
So, how did everything unfold?
It started with their first upset of the year when the Commodores took out Virginia Tech, a team that many analysts during the preseason were predicting would be crowned ACC champions.
"You're seeing this flip of the whole organization. I was ecstatic," he told Joey Dwyer of 247Sports.
That was a nice moment for Vanderbilt, but in the mind of Howard, he still wasn't quite sure about playing football for the program.
However, that changed after Oct. 5.
Howard admits seeing the Commodores upset the then-No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide played a major role in his decision.
"That's when things started heating back up with Vandy. That was crazy. That was probably one of the craziest games I've ever experienced myself in real life," he said.
This is exactly what Clark Lea envisioned when he changed their focus from solely utilizing recruiting to building their roster through the transfer portal, hoping the short-term results that could come from adding experienced players would help them boost their standing amongst the high school ranks.
In this situation, it looks like that worked.
Vanderbilt was the first FBS school that offered Howard, and even though the coaching staff had done a great job of establishing a connection with him early, they almost lost out to another SEC school that isn't even a premier program in the landscape of the conference.
But, their win over Alabama showed they are headed in the right direction.
That's what stood out to Howard, and he likely isn't the only one who took notice of what the Commodores did this season.
