Vanderbilt Football

Vanderbilt added another promising playmaker for the future Friday when it received a commitment from in-state wide receiver Camron Johnson.

The wideout confirmed his decision with a post on social media:

Johnson is a 4-star prospect in the 2018 class, according to the Scout.com player rankings. He's rated as the No. 63 overall receiver among next year's incoming group and the top-ranked player at the position from the state of Tennessee.

The Brentwood Academy star would best be described as a gamer. He won't be the fastest player on the field at the collegiate level and doesn't possess ideal measurables (6'1'', 180 pounds), but he's still found a way to make big plays on a consistent basis.

He's also versatile. His frame would suggest he'll probably find a long-term home in the slot, where his small-area quickness will come in handy. But he's tough enough to play on the outside, winning physical battles in order to create separation.

Ultimately, a lot of prospects are recruited heavily based on raw athletic gifts and the possibility they could develop into a star. Johnson is the opposite. He's a rock-solid football player who's already almost polished enough to make an impact in college.

Chad Carson of 247Sports passed along a Hail Mary play by Brentwood during which Johnson showcased outstanding awareness to create the touchdown:

While he's made a name for himself on the football field, the receiver told Anthony R. Brown II of Sports Rants his college decision-making process was going to include far more than sports.

"I'll be looking for a variety of things: I want to know how they're doing academically and how their students do and how they're set up for life after football," Johnson said. "Of course the football aspect is a huge aspect to me as well. I want to see how their coaches react to their players, how their coaches coach the players and not talk to me because they're going to talk to me a completely different way than they're going to coach the other players. I want to see that relationship."

He probably won't end up being one of the most talked-about members of the Vandy recruiting class due to his lack of flash. That said, it's still a nice pickup for Derek Mason and his coaching staff to add depth to the 2018 group.

As mentioned, Johnson is pretty advanced in terms of understanding the game for a young player, which should help in his quest to see the field quickly. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him carve out at least a small niche by the end of his freshman campaign with the Commodores.

Vanderbilt added one of the best defenders in the country to its 2018 class after securing the commitment of Alston Orji.

The Texas native announced his decision on his personal Twitter account:

The 4-star outside linebacker ranks fifth at his position and 107th overall in 2018, per Scout. He's also the best outside linebacker in the Midland Region.

Orji's physique immediately stands out. Standing 6'2" and weighing 223 pounds, he cuts an imposing figure on the field. 247Sports' EJ Holland shared a photo of Orji working out last May:

Orji is a great athlete for his position. According to Hudl, he boasts a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and a 4.08-second 40-yard shuttle. To put that in perspective, the Rockwall, Texas, native would've ranked third and second, respectively, in those two categories among linebackers at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine.

Orji's athleticism will allow him to serve a variety of roles at the next level. He's a great run defender who wraps up the ball-carrier. He's also solid in pass coverage, and he has the quickness to keep up with opposing tight ends, which is an increasingly necessary skill given the evolution of the tight end position.

Orji could easily change positions if Vanderbilt wants to move him around. While listed as an outside linebacker, he'd have little trouble adjusting to inside linebacker.

Jesse Johnson of 247Sports believes he will end up in the middle playing for inside linebackers coach Chris Marve:

It's scary to think how good Orji can be when he fully grows into his body. At his current weight, he could be bullied a bit by offensive linemen. He should get naturally stronger over the next few years, and he'll also benefit from a regular strength-and-conditioning program with the Commodores.

This is the fourth commitment in the 2018 class for Vanderbilt and first on the defensive side of the ball, per Scout.

After going three straight years without a winning season, Orji will hope to make an early impact with his new team and turn things around in a hurry.

Vanderbilt and head football coach Derek Mason have agreed to a three-year contract extension, according to Adam Sparks of the Tennessean.

On Tuesday, athletics director David Williams confirmed the extension includes a raise for Mason, an expanded recruiting budget and extensions and raises for multiple assistant coaches.

"We went to a bowl game in his third year, but it's not only that. You could see the growth in the program overall," Williams said. "This year will be the first year that we actually have the type of depth that we would like to have, and I think Derek is a master at developing players."      

While the Commodores have gone just 13-24 in Mason's three seasons at the helm, the team went 6-7 last season and reached the Independence Bowl. The program has shown growth under Mason, improving its record each season, and has made recruiting Polynesian players from Hawaii and the West Coast a priority.

That, in turn, required a larger recruiting budget.

"We wanted to put more money in [the recruiting budget], so they can go get those players as much as they can," Williams said. "And we needed to put more money into Derek's assistants to retain them because they were getting inquiries from other places."

Mason came to Vanderbilt with big shoes to fill in 2014, replacing James Franklin, who left the school to become Penn State's head coach. Franklin went 24-15 in his three seasons with the Commodores, reaching three bowl games and winning two of them.

Given Mason's new contract extension, Vanderbilt believes he is the man to replicate that success.  

The Vanderbilt Commodores don't typically get the top high school football recruits, but all of that could change thanks to a sorority recruitment-like video.

(Seriously.)

Vanderbilt players got together and gave it their all, imitating the 2015 viral videos put out by University of Alabama's Alpha Phi sorority. From the matching shirts to group activities to the music, they made sure to cross off every box on the checklist.

If a video like this doesn't draw recruits, nothing will.

[YouTube]

The Vanderbilt Commodores have been a work in progress ever since Derek Mason was hired as the team's head coach in January 2014, but a 6-6 regular season punctuated by a couple of wins over SEC foes reportedly has the third-year boss primed for a raise. 

Continue for updates. 

Latest on Mason's Negotiations with Vanderbilt

Wednesday, Nov. 30

According to ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg, the two sides "have started discussions about a revised contract that would include a raise and more years."

The Commodores started the season in inauspicious fashion after they lost four of their first six games, but back-to-back wins over the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee State Tigers propelled them back to 4-4 on the year.  

And while a pair of losses to the Auburn Tigers and Missouri Tigers sunk Vanderbilt back below .500, the Commodores rebounded by closing out their regular season with a 38-17 win over the Ole Miss Rebels and a 45-34 victory over the then-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. 

Although the Commodores had already clinched a bowl berth prior to the Tennessee game by virtue of the team's Academic Progress Rate, Mason told reporters he was thrilled that his squad earned the bid with a sixth win. 

"That's the way we wanted it," Mason said, per the Associated Press' Teresa M. Walker. "We wanted a victory. At the end of the day, we didn't want to sneak in the back door. We wanted to kick in the door and walk through the front door."

And considering Vandy won a combined seven games during Mason's first two years at the helm, it's logical that a six-win campaign featuring quality wins over conference competition would earn him an extended stay as the program's head coach.

BR Video

Vanderbilt's Zach Cunningham leaps over the line to block an Auburn field-goal attempt.

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With less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Auburn Tigers had a chance to make it a two-score game against the Vanderbilt Commodores with a 35-yard field goal.

Linebacker Zach Cunningham had other ideas, hurdling over Auburn's offensive line to block Daniel Carlson's kick. The Tigers kicker had converted all three of his previous field-goal attempts Saturday, including a 53-yarder during the third quarter.

Cunningham's superb play, however, ultimately had no effect on the final outcome. Vanderbilt could not capitalize on its last opportunity to tie the game, instead losing 23-16 on the road at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

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Vanderbilt converts 4th-and-18 on tip drill during final moments of game vs. Auburn.

Former Vanderbilt football player Cory Batey was sentenced to 15 years in prison Friday morning after previously being found guilty of raping an unconscious woman in 2013.

Stacey Barchenger of the Tennessean reported the 15-year sentence handed down by Judge Monte Watkins was the minimum term available in the case.

The unnamed female victim, who's now 24, spoke at the hearing and stated she has no memory of the incident, only learning about what occurred during the investigation.

She also discussed the impact the incident has had on her life, according to the Tennessean:

It will never be possible for anyone to put into words how this has affected me. You will never understand what this has done to me if you aren't standing in my shoes. The humiliation, the pain, the isolation, being reduced to nothing but a piece of flesh right before your eyes, it does something to you that is truly impossible to describe.

Batey was found guilty in an April retrial of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery along with less severe but related charges, including another count of aggravated sexual battery, facilitation of aggravated rape and two counts attempted aggravated rape, per Barchenger.

Kara Apel of WSMV reported the other charges amounted to eight years of prison time, which he will serve concurrently with the aggravated rape sentence. The report also noted he will serve 100 percent of the sentence.

Three other players were also charged in the case. The Tennessean noted Brandon Vandenburg was found guilty on eight counts in June and is awaiting sentencing in September. Brandon E. Banks and Jaborian McKenzie are awaiting trial after pleading not guilty.

Judge Watkins noted each defendant found guilty in the case would have to register as a sex offender after being released from prison, according to the Tennessean. He also stated he weighed "thousands of cases" before deciding to give Batey the minimum term.

Former Vanderbilt Commodores football player Brandon Vandenburg was convicted on five counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated sexual battery and one count of unlawful photography on June 18, according to the Tennessean's Natalie Neysa Alund. 

The Associated Press (via ESPN.com) reported at the time that Vandenburg was convicted by a jury following "just over four hours of deliberation" after he was put on trial for "encouraging his teammates to rape an unconscious woman he had been dating" in June 2013.

According to the AP, "Vandenburg's attorneys had argued that he was too drunk to form the necessary intent to direct or encourage players he didn't even know to commit the crime." 

Vandenburg and former Vanderbilt teammate Cory Batey were previously on trial, and they were both found guilty on all counts by a jury, according to USA Today's Stacey Barchenger and Joey Garrison. 

However, a mistrial was declared in June 2015 after the jury foreman revealed "he had been the victim of sexual crimes as a teenager," per the New York Times' Alan Blinder. 

Batey's retrial concluded in April, and he was found guilty on charges of aggravated rape and aggravated sexual battery, according to Barchenger.

Batey's sentencing date was originally scheduled for May 20 but was moved to July 15, per Barchenger. He faces 15 to 25 years in jail. 

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Vandenburg will be sentenced Sept. 30. Like Batey, he faces 15 to 25 years in prison, per Barchenger.