Vanderbilt’s 2017 national recruiting class ranked the lowest among SEC teams. The Commodores were a consensus 62nd nationally and failed to sign a four-star prospect.
But that doesn’t mean Vandy didn’t sign some talented prospects with an upside. One is two-star linebacker Brayden DeVault-Smith (6 feet 3, 208 pounds), from Nashville Pearl-Cohn, which is about 2 miles from Vandy’s campus.
“Vanderbilt’s coaching staff thinks it found a real sleeper in two-star freshman linebacker Brayden DeVault-Smith,” former college and NFL scout Chris Landry said. “DeVault-Smith was actually unranked by most services, but the Commodores’ staff thinks DeVault-Smith is long and rangy and was exceptional during his senior year.