Some of my thoughts on Vanderbilt's hits and misses today

[ShaneKinnee]

Vanderbilt's 2017 recruiting cycle was all wrapped up very early into National Signing Day. The last few days of the 2017 recruiting cycle was definitely a wild one, landing a few unknown commits and offering some unexpected kids. However, Vanderbilt's 2017 recruiting cycle is all said and done. So, below I give my thoughts on the Commodores hits and misses today.

- Let's start off with the good for Vanderbilt during National Signing Day. Vanderbilt's first commit came from a longtime target and the top prospect on the staff's board in Westlake Village, CA (Oaks Christian) DE Michael Owusu. This was a huge win for the staff as they have been pursuing the Vanderbilt legacy who has a brother at Vanderbilt. Many people thought Vanderbilt might have been in trouble when in-state powerhouse USC came in late with an offer. He ended up taking an official visit to the Trojans during the last weekend before National Signing Day. However, something many people didn't know was Owusu had given his commitment to the coaching staff on his long awaited official visit to Nashville on Jan. 20th. He just wanted to enjoy his recruitment and take a visit to USC. Owusu sent in his LOI to Vanderbilt early in the morning.

- Vanderbilt has been talking and recruiting 2017 Nashville (TN) OLB Brayden DeVault-Smith for quite sometime. Over the last few months, he was known as the top preferred walk-on target for the the Commodores. The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder took an official visit on Jan. 20th to Nashville and ever since the staff has really been interested in Smith as a full-ride type of guy. Come Tuesday, he got a "dream come true" offer from Vanderbilt and he committed on the spot. He made it official on National Signing Day at 1:30 in his high school gym when he announced his future will be in Nashville. Before Smith committed to Vanderbilt, the Commodores had zero total commits from in the state of Tennessee. This was a big one for the staff to maybe set the tone for the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Since we are talking about preferred walk on offers, Vanderbilt also landed a 2017 Phoenix (AZ) long snapper Alexander Maxey. One of the top LS in the nation, received a preferred walk-on option from the staff a few weeks ago and made it official on National Signing Day. This is a pretty good pick up for the staff as Maxey can really snap the football well.

- Sadly, Vanderbilt's National Signing Day wasn't all roses and rainbows. The Commodores did take a little bit of a hit today. The day started off with missing out on major 2017 Kapolei, HI (Kapolei) three-star DE Myron Tagovailoa. This one really stung for the staff as they led for most of his recruitment several weeks after his official visit to USC on Nov. 30th. But things changed when he got an offer from Notre Dame a few weeks outside of National Signing Day. After he took his mid-week official visit to Notre Dame, a visit where the coaching staff went all out on Tagovailoa and his family. That official visit to Notre Dame, really impressed his family and took the lead within his recruitment. However, he had one more official visit to take, and that was this past weekend to Vanderbilt. The Commodores pushed very hard and used the line that they offered him first and the education he can get at Vanderbilt the whole visit. But Notre Dame's brand and late offer, pushed the Irish in front and ultimately led to his committing to Notre Dame.

As for the other target the staff missed on, he was also a Hawaiian defensive end in 2017 Honolulu, HI (Punahou) DE Miki Suguturaga. The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder was also a prospect that the Commodores had been pursuing for quite sometime. After his mid-week official visit to Vanderbilt, he informed me that the coaching staff really recruited him hard and that's why they took the lead within his recruitment. However, when he took his last official visit to Utah, everything he saw really blew him away. His love for the west coast of the country and the "full-court press" the Utes staff put on him, really made the difference. Some kids just don't want to leave a comfortable environment, for Suguturaga it looked like he was one of those kids.

In my opinion, Vanderbilt had a very good class for the 2017 cycle. They did miss out on a few heartbreaking prospects, but that happens for everyone. I am still a firm believer that the decommitment of Nico Bolden was a major loss as he is a physical freak. But the staff wanted him at OLB and he wanted to play safety. This class really addressed a lot of needs for Derek Mason and his staff; offensive line, receiver, cornerback, and defensive end was all put to rest. Not to mention, this 2017 cycle will have a huge role in the direction that this program will take under Derek Mason, and even more importantly sets the stage for the 2018 cycle.