Vanderbilt Likely Will Use Transfer Portal Instead of Recruiting This Cycle
Things are about to get really busy for Vanderbilt this month.
With Early Signing Day taking place on Dec. 4, the Commodores likely will lock up some of their 2025 recruits, but with so few in that class compared to their counterparts around the Southeastern Conference, Clark Lea and his coaching staff could be looking to use the standard signing period as the way to fill out the rest of their margins.
As of Monday, when decommitment and flip season is starting to take off, Vanderbilt has the fewest commits in the SEC with just 12.
Every other program has at least 19.
That's a stark difference compared to how Lea operated when he brought in 20 recruits last year and 22 in the class before that.
A change in philosophy could be the reason.
Aria Gerson of The Tennessean reports the Commodores are focusing their attention more on the transfer portal rather than go after top recruits in high school.
"The Commodores figure to more heavily use the transfer portal for recruiting, just as they did last offseason, as it has been historically difficult for Vanderbilt to land top high-school recruits," she writes.
That makes sense.
What Lea is trying to do is build a successful program, and to compete in the SEC on an annual basis, they need players who can immediately step in and make an impact similar to what their star quarterback Diego Pavia was able to do.
Vanderbilt shouldn't flat out ignore recruiting, though.
They still need to recruit some of the best players in their pipeline to increase the overall talent level throughout the entire roster so they can have better depth, something Lea discussed after the disappointing finale against Tennessee.
But, being transfer portal heavy makes a lot sense for the Commodores right now.
This allows Vanderbilt to get older players into their program who are the right fit culture-wise.
Then, the more success they have on the field, the more they are able to recruit at a higher level.
So, it sounds like the 2025 cycle won't be the busiest time for Lea and his staff when it comes to the high school ranks, but they could be one of the most active when it comes time to attack the transfer portal.
