Vanderbilt Poaches Washington State Transfer Punter Nick Haberer
The Vanderbilt Commodores are expected to be one of the busiest teams in the transfer portal this cycle, hoping to boost their roster with established players so they can build upon what they have accomplished so far this season.
They made a splash early, landing former four-star recruit and Alabama transfer Keanu Koht to bolster their pass rushing unit, and they are aiming at some other high-profile players who are available as well.
Vanderbilt earned their second commitment out of the portal from Washington State transfer Nick Haberer, and while he's not going to turn heads because he's a punter, this was a position they desperately needed to address.
Excited for the next chapter! ⚓️#vanderbilt #Nashville pic.twitter.com/TF2Za3Penj
— Nick Haberer (@haberer_nick) December 15, 2024
The big Australian has been with the Cougars since he committed to them as part of the 2021 class, and while he only appeared in four games this past season because of an injury, he was one of the best punters in the Pac-12 during 2023 by ranking fourth with 44.4 yards per punt.
Adding him is huge for Vanderbilt who is losing their second-team All-SEC punter Jesse Mirco to graduation.
Like Mirco, Haberer is from ProKick Australia, so this keeps that pipeline going.
It's also a great fit for how Vanderbilt operates in special teams.
The Commodores used Mirco as their holder, something that Haberer also has done during his time with Washington State, so there won't be a huge learning curve when it comes to that aspect.
Special teams was a strength for Vanderbilt this season, and that's something they will look to continue going forward since that area of the game could be an edge they give themselves each time they take the field on gameday.
