Vanderbilt Football

Outside linebacker Zach Cunningham has decided that Vanderbilt was the best fit for the next step of his football career. The 4-star prospect will now do everything he can to hone his skill and remain productive at the next level.

According to 247Sports composite rankings, Cunningham is the 18th-ranked outside linebacker in the nation. He is also considered to be the No. 267 overall prospect and the No. 10 recruit coming out of Alabama in the 2013 class.

He should develop into a very good college player, especially with his new coaching staff working to mold him into their system.

Cunningham stands 6'4'', but he weighs less than 200 pounds right now. That could be a problem but it's nothing that a college-level workout program can't fix. Practicing against behemoth offensive linemen every day won't hurt anything either.

His player profile on 247Sports mentions that he recorded 194 tackles, 37 tackles for a loss, 12 sacks and one interception this past season. Those numbers, no matter what, will jump off the page and suggest just how excellent Cunningham can be.

Don't expect him to develop into a run-stuffing edge player immediately, but that could come later. Instead, he will make an impact as a situational pass-rusher, using his athleticism to get around slower offensive tackles. 

He can also use his speed to match up with tight ends on obvious passing downs.

Cunningham has some filling out to do, but he has the frame to make that happen. Having his kind of length and range, he has considerable potential once he gets stronger.

Athletes like this excite any coach. He has the ability to plug into different spots at the college level, and it will be interesting to see how he's used early on in his career with the Commodores. 

There is no doubt that Vanderbilt fans will enjoy watching him improve during his collegiate career.

The Vanderbilt Commodores are experiencing a football revival under coach James Franklin, and the team has hauled in quite a nice recruiting class in 2013.

With national signing day taking place on Wednesday, the program finally received letters of intent from a number of top recruits and looks to have a bright future ahead.

Let’s take a look at some of the key prospects who should soon be starring in Nashville.

Jordan Cunningham, WR

This Fort Lauderdale, Florida native made it clear that his commitment to Vanderbilt is about much more than football, but he’s still going to be a major asset when he gets on the field.

247Sports lists Cunningham as a 4-star recruit via composite rankings, and he’s one of the top-300 players in the entire nation. The 6’3”, 175-pound wideout is an absolute threat with his speed, athleticism and ability to track the ball.

The one major concern with the University School of Nova South product is his lanky frame, which shows he absolutely needs to hit the weight room and get on the Commodores' meal plan immediately.

Regardless, this kid looks like he’s going to be a star for the next few years and will help Vanderbilt stay competitive in the tough SEC.

DeAndre Woods, WR

If Cunningham is the king of Franklin’s national signing day haul, Woods can be considered the prince. 247Sports grades this receiver as a 3-star prospect and the No. 56 overall player at his position in the nation in its composite rankings.

Woods is another big wideout (6’3”, 210 pounds) who will create plenty of mismatches on the field when lined up across from Cunningham. His speed leaves something to be desired, but he does his best to make up for it with brute strength and physical toughness, which makes him a feared blocker when asked to do so.

The young man isn’t going to be the star of many highlight reels, but Woods is a good north-to-south runner and understands basic routes well. He’s a blue-collar WR, but that’s exactly what the Commodores need as a potential No. 2 or No. 3 in the receiving corps.

This Clay-Chalkville product from Alabama could quickly become a sneaky great part of the Vanderbilt offense.

Tre Bell, CB

Coach Franklin was fortunate enough to nab a pair of top-tier receivers, and he also found a cornerback who can help shut down opposing wideouts.

Bell is a 3-star recruit (as per 247Sports' composite rankings) from Jersey City and honed his skills at St. Peters Prep. He’s a pure athlete who has great instinct and range for his position, with his height (5’11”) and weight (165 pounds) being the biggest issues going into his freshman year at Vanderbilt.

If Bell can bulk up and bring some size to fit his intense and hard-hitting style of play, he will quickly be a contributor to this program.

We imagine someone who brings so much passion to the game and has this much athleticism will find a way to make an impact when he gets a chance to get out there and play ball for the Commodores. 

It's not often that Vanderbilt makes headlines on national signing day, but Wednesday's class that head coach James Franklin hauled in features one of the top wide receivers in the country. 

Jordan Cunningham, a 4-star wide receiver prospect from University School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. chose the Commodores over Miami (Fla.), Stanford and Florida State (ESPN). 

Certainly not bad company for Vanderbilt to beat, much less be in to begin with.

However, it wasn't just the commitment of Cunningham that was so impressive. It was what Cunningham said in the process that will really make Franklin smile.

Cunningham mentioned a 50-year career plan that includes becoming a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football player, a degree as a professional engineer and an entrepreneur once his football career is done.

"The academics, that was a big deal to me," Cunningham told ESPNU after his announcement. "Football is going to end at some point. You have to have a backup plan. You have to have a degree to fall back on. You can get hurt at any moment, and you could decide that you don't want to play anymore."

Good for Cunningham. That's the kind of thing you love to hear from a prospect.

Prospects handle the enormity of the situation in a variety of ways, but it's refreshing anytime a prospect has the big picture in perspective and makes his decision with that in mind.

Landing Cunningham also reaffirms that what Franklin is selling to kids is working.

Prospects get the benefit of playing in the toughest college football conference in the country (with the most exposure to NFL scouts) while getting an education at the 17th-ranked national university in the U.S. News & World Report.

Football isn't forever, and even the top players in the NFL make their money in a very tight time frame. While it's not likely that Cunningham will compete for a national championship during his college football career, he will be very prepared for his future—whatever that may be.

After all, isn't that the purpose of college?

Follow @BarrettSallee

After fielding many offers, 4-star recruit Jordan Cunningham has signed with Vanderbilt.

The highly touted wide receiver, who had plenty of offers from the SEC to the Pac-12 to the Big 12 to the Big Ten, began his official visits with Oklahoma State and Stanford in September and November respectively.

In the 247Sports.com composite rankings, Cunningham is listed as the 43rd-best wideout in the class and the 43rd-best prospect coming out of Florida in 2013. Though he comes in at No. 288 overall in this year's recruiting class, this player has room to develop into a star.

At 6'3", 175 pounds, the Florida native has a long, lanky body with room to grow. He also has the speed and body control to be a productive player in college, evidenced by his 4.50 40-time and ability to react to the ball.

Cunningham doesn't have high-end speed, but he has great burst that allows him to get to top speed quickly. He is able to find holes in zone coverage, but he particularly excels one-on-one. In addition, he is a fearless player who puts his body on the line going down the middle of the field, and his hands and ball skills are above average.

You will likely see some acrobatic catches from Cunningham in college. His body control is one of his greatest strengths. He has the ability to leap in the air and snag balls off line. He also has enough strength and size to do well in press coverage. Once he gets past defenders on the line, his burst takes over and he can gain separation.

He needs a bit of work with his fluidity in terms of breaking on routes, but that can come with more coaching. The biggest thing for him will be bulking up for college so he's not limited by stronger opponents. 

Overall, there is a lot to like about Cunningham's game and his potential to become a real threat as a red-zone target.

With the 2012 season being a season to remember for the Vanderbilt football program, head coach James Franklin is quickly looking to build off that with a strong recruiting class.

The Commodores signed their fourth tight end of the 2013 recruiting season by getting Mitchell Parsons out of Colorado.

Parsons was originally committed to Colorado before deciding to jump on board with the Commodores.

The big question heading into next season is whether or not the Commodores can sustain this recent success, or just revert back to their old ways.

This is a signing that the old Vanderbilt would've never had a chance for, but Franklin deserves a ton of credit for changing the culture of this program.

Parsons had basically eliminated Vanderbilt from his list of choices, but he demonstrated that recruits can change their minds rather quickly.

This fast decision by a 4-star recruit is a sign of things to come for the Vanderbilt football program. Highly regarded recruits like Parsons don't just spontaneously change their minds to go to a program that's not on the rise.

With this recent signing of Parsons, Vanderbilt easily has a top 25 recruiting class for 2013.

That would've been unheard of just a few seasons ago.

The fact that the Commodores have signed so many tight ends shows that Franklin wants to transform this offense into one of the more dangerous ones in the SEC.

Vanderbilt has always had a respectable defense, but the offense has traditionally struggled to score points against the more formidable SEC defenses.

Since Franklin has become head coach two seasons ago, Vanderilt has jumped from 110th to 74th nationally in total offense.

There's still a lot of room for improvement, but Franklin seems to be addressing that with these recent signings on the recruiting trail.

Nathan Marcus, Mack Weaver and Brandon Vandenburg are the other tight ends that currently have commitments to the Commodores.

All three are 3-star recruits that figure to play a big part in making this offense a high-scoring one for at least the next few years.

Tight end isn't the only offensive position the Commodores have loaded up on in their 2013 recruiting class.

Johnathon McCrary is a highly regarded quarterback prospect out of Georgia who was signed last year, and Carlos Burse is a solid 3-star wide receiver prospect who is also out of Georgia and is currently committed to the Commodores.

Now that Franklin is loading up with promising offensive recruits, it looks like Vanderbilt is here to stay after their 9-4 season.

The 8-4 Vanderbilt Commodores look to put a winning finishing touch on their finest season in three decades when they take on the 7-5 North Carolina State Wolfpack in the Music City Bowl New Year's Eve day in Nashville (noon ET, ESPN).

Most online sportsbooks opened their Music City Bowl odds with Vandy, playing in its hometown, favored by six points, and have since bumped the Commodores to -7.5, according to OddsShark.com.

"NC State has been solid in bowl action, running up a 6-1-1 ATS mark in eight recent games," Mike Pickett of OddsShark.com said in an interview this week.

With 15 starters back from a team that went 6-7 last season Vanderbilt had hopes of even better things this season. But the Commodores started 2-4, with tough losses to South Carolina, Northwestern and Florida.

However, the schedule then turned a little lighter, and Vandy won its last six games in a row, finishing with a 40-0 romp at Kentucky, a last-minute victory at Ole Miss, a 41-18 rout of rival Tennessee and a 55-21 victory at Wake Forest.

So the Commodores finished at 5-3 in SEC play, the first time they've posted a winning conference record since 1982.

NC State, meanwhile, hoped to contend for the ACC title this year, but came up short. The Pack started with a loss to Tennessee, then won three games in a row, then lost at Miami, then upset Florida State and beat Maryland to get to 5-2.

But back-to-back losses to North Carolina and Virginia put a damper on the Pack's chances to win the conference, and they later gave up 62 points in losing to Clemson.

North Carolina State beat Boston College 27-10 to finish at 4-4 in ACC play, but a few days later canned coach Tom O'Brien. The Wolfpack then hired coach Dave Doeren away from Northern Illinois to take over the program, but offensive coordinator Dana Bible will coach the Pack in the bowl game.

Statistically speaking Vandy outgained opponents this season by a 393-326 YPG margin, and outrushed foes 171-151.

NC State outgained opponents by a 421-420 YPG margin, but got outrushed 158-117. However, with QB Mike Glennon throwing for over 3,600 yards, the Wolfpack averaged more than 300 YPG through the air.

These teams played two common opponents this season. Vandy beat Tennessee 41-18 and Wake Forest 55-21, while NC State beat Wake 37-6 but lost to the Vols 35-21.

The Wolfpack is playing in a bowl for the third straight season. Last year they beat Louisville in the Belk Bowl 31-24.

The Commodores are playing in a bowl for the second straight season. Last year they lost to Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl 31-24.

Music City Bowl Pick: We love what Vanderbilt has done this season, and they'll be playing in front of a hometown crowd. But seven points seems a bit much going against a team that can throw the ball like State. We'll take the points with the Wolfpack. (Courtesy of PickShark.com.)

All odds, stats and trends mentioned courtesy of OddsShark.com. Mike Pickett is an Analyst to Bleacher Report and contributes to the Twitter feed.

Miami Gardens it is not. 

Nor is it sunny Pasadena or lively New Orleans.

But if you are a genuine college football fan in search of a new location to take in a bowl game and ring in the new year - Nashville is the place to be.

And sure, the Country Music Capital is known much more for its troubadours than touchdowns, however, it is a hidden gem amongst the 35 bowl games and is an extremely enjoyable and entertaining destination to take in a college football bowl game and New Year's festivities.

Win or lose, fans will quickly realize that there is much more to the Music City Bowl experience than just football, as Nashville has some of the greatest live music establishments in the world where fans can celebrate into the wee hours of the morning. 

Although this year's match-up is not one that we as college football enthusiasts have been dreaming to see (that game is actually taking place in Miami Gardens), this year's Music City Bowl should still be exciting even though it will feature two programs who were seemingly headed in different directions during the regular season. 

The North Carolina State Wolfpack (7-5, 4-4 ACC) are led by senior quarterback Mike Glennon (3,468 yards passing and 30 touchdowns).  Glennon, a possible first round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft lead the ACC in passing yardage this season and his 304 yards per game ranked him 11th nationally. 

However, the successful passing attack and the gaudy numbers it managed to put up was not nearly enough to carry the Pack to as many victories as it had hoped as they finished the season a mediocre 3-3 after shocking Florida State 17-16.  And following a 27-10 victory to close out the regular season against Boston College, head coach Tom O'Brien was fired.  O'Brien has guided the Wolfpack to three straight bowl games in his six year tenure at State going 40-35 overall, but was just 22-26 in an average at best, Atlantic Coast Conference during that span.

The Pack will be coached in the interim by Offensive Coordinator Dana Bible who along with all of the  assistants have been retained through at least the bowl game as newly hired head coach Dave Doeren waits in the wings.

The Commodores (8-4, 5-3 SEC) on the other hand, finished their regular season on a roll. After going a dismal 2-4 in their first six games, the 'Dores won their final six contests to close out their second consecutive bowl season under James Franklin.  Vandy's 8-4 overall record was their first winning year in the regular season since 1982 and the five conference wins was the highest total in school history since 1935.

A significant ingredient to Vanderbilt's success this season had been their stellar defense.  And to counter the Pack's prolific passing attack, Vandy enters into this game with one of the most respected pass defenses in the country as they were able to hold opposing quarterbacks to an average of just 175.8 yards per game, good for 10th nationally. 

The 'Dores are led on the other side of the ball by a pair of seniors, in quarterback Jordan Rodgers (Aaron's kid brother) and running back Zac Stacy.  Rodgers was able to drastically cut down on his turnovers from a year ago throwing for 2,431 yards and 13 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions, enabling the two year starter to have a very successful senior campaign.  Stacy, was able to rush for over 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season (1,193 and 1,034 respectfully) in a very balanced offense under Franklin.

Vanderbilt will surely have the home field advantage as their prestigious campus is only 5 miles from LP Field, but with a very capable North Carolina State having one huge win under their belt with the victory over the Seminoles should be able to make this game a very competitive and exciting one.

Joe Rogers is a college football writer and operates the website The College Football Bowl Report.

For more information on the Music City Bowl click here.

For information on the city of Nashville click here.

A lot of players and fans alike were probably a little disappointed at getting an invite to a bowl game that is just a few miles from campus for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

In what was the best regular season the Commodores have enjoyed in over two decades, these players who fought so hard will not get as great of a bowl experience, as they'll stay home in Nashville for the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.

The Commodores will take on NC State, who finished with a 4-4 record in what was a very bad year for the ACC.

It will be the second time the Commodores will play in the Music City Bowl, with the first time coming in 2008 when they defeated Boston College on a late field goal.

As disheartening as it may be that the Commodores didn't get to travel and enjoy the full bowl experience, this could still be a very good thing for this rising program.

It's been reported that the Commodores have already sold their allotment of tickets and have put in a request for more.

That's something that didn't happen in 2008, and a ton of credit goes to head coach James Franklin for energizing this fan base like no one ever thought he could in such a short amount of time.

If the Commodores can come in with an obvious home-field advantage against NC State, then it will do wonders for the program's national image, as everyone will know they're playing in their hometown.

Nothing would look worse than having little fan support at a bowl game that is located just miles from your campus.

It looks like that won't be a problem for the Commodores here, but it could've been if they would've traveled hundreds of miles away.

If recruiting is going to continue to rise for the Vanderbilt football program, then they have to perform well in these bowl games behind strong fan support. Recruits do pay attention to stuff like that.

Then you have to shift attention to whom the Commodores will be playing, which is NC State. First of all, the Wolfpack should not be overlooked. They have a solid team that finished 7-5 and a huge win over then No. 3 Florida State to their credit.

However, this is a very winnable game for the Commodores. Most spreads have the Commodores being anywhere from a five to seven-point favorite.

The Commodores have a great opportunity to win nine games for the first time since Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States. That was 1915 for all you non-history buffs.

A much tougher opponent would've been waiting for them in the Gator Bowl, which was a possibility in the selection process.

Momentum in the recruiting process would have the likelihood of being damaged if the Commodores were to show up for a bowl game that they may not have been ready for as a program.

All of the other possible bowl destinations for the Commodores would not have gotten the same amount of national attention that a New Year's Eve bowl game like the Music City Bowl will get.

A bowl game outside of Nashville would've been more exciting for both fans and players, but equaling the school record for wins in a season will be even more exciting as long as the Commodores take care of business against a team they should beat.

Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee can scratch another candidate off the list.

According to The Tennessean, Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin has received a significant contract extension to remain the head coach of the Commodores.

The extension includes a raise, an increased commitment to facility upgrades and more money to spend on assistant coaches. Since Vanderbilt is a private institution, specific terms of the extension were not disclosed.

Due to the lack of details, there's no way of knowing how set in stone this new contract is.

But it does confirm that Franklin won't be leaving to any of the remaining three openings in the SEC right now, which is unfortunate if you're a fan of any of those three programs.

Franklin has done a tremendous job since taking over for Robbie Caldwell in Nashville prior to the 2011 season. In his second-year, he led the Commodores to an 8-4 record and their second consecutive bowl game—the first time in program history that the Commodores have reached bowl games in back-to-back years.

On top of that, he has successfully made Vanderbilt a desirable place to play football for high school recruits.

The Commodores currently come in at the No. 17 spot in the latest Rivals.com 2013 recruiting rankings, after finishing last season with the nation's No. 29 class.

Not great, but by Vanderbilt standards, its wildly impressive.

Prior to the 2012 class, Vanderbilt hadn't finished in the top 60 in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings in more than a decade.

That appeal will continue, whether Franklin does, in fact, stay in Nashville long-term or not.

He already secured a new indoor practice facility in his previous extension, and athletic director David Williams did mention the need to upgrade training facilities to The Tennessean.

Never say never.

At some point, the grass may be greener on the other side, but it isn't the case for Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee—at least during this offseason.

Down the road? We'll see.

But whenever Franklin decides to take the next step, he will leave Vanderbilt much better off than when he found it.

Follow @BarrettSallee