3-star JUCO OLB picks Vandy, RB target heads to Louisville
Vanderbilt landed one of its JUCO targets Wednesday, the community college National Signing Day, lost out on another and won’t hear from a third until Thursday.
Three-star DE/OLB Nehemiah Mitchell (City College of San Francisco), a Vanderbilt commitment for nearly two weeks, was expected to announce his official signing sometime Wednesday afternoon, 247 Sports reported.
3-star OLB Nehemiah Mitchell will officially sign today with Vanderbilt. Story upcoming. #SEC #VU247 http://t.co/JRiQS6xOCO via @247Sports
— Chris Smith (@CSmithScout) December 17, 2014
Meanwhile, three-star RB Jeremy Smith (Fresno City College), the No. 4 JUCO running back according to 247 Sports, signed with the Cardinals on Wednesday morning. The Commodores pursued him actively, but he committed to Louisville on Monday and didn’t waiver.
Three-star QB Austin Apodaca (Mesa Community College) will announce his decision Thursday, choosing between Vandy and New Mexico. He’s expected to sign with the Commodores.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound pass rusher, made 9.5 sacks this season for the Rams. There’s a good chance he will compete for the starting outside linebacker spot vacated by senior Kyle Woestmann. Vandy returns three of the four listed on the final two-deep depth chart, including returning starter Stephen Weatherly.
Weatherly led the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, but the backups did not make a huge impact, so Mitchell could easily inject himself into the rotation at the least. He’ll enroll early (Jan. 2) and participate in spring practice — something only two other Vandy players have ever done.
“Pressure is not a problem for me. I plan to come right into the defense and work hard for a starting spot,” Mitchell said, according to 247 Sports. “The coaches talked to me about how they want me to come in and compete immediately for a spot and that’s what I plan to do.”
The Commodores’ current recruiting class is ranked No. 52 in the country despite Vanderbilt’s lack of coordinators. Vandy currently has 14 commitments.
If Apodaca, originally a Washington State signee with Mike Leach, signs with the team Thursday, he’ll enter a convoluted quarterback situation at Vanderbilt alongside Johnny McCrary, who ended the season as the starter, Patton Robinette, who started early in the season when he was healthy, Stephen Rivers and Wade Freebeck.
“I think both Vanderbilt and New Mexico offer me a great chance at competing for a spot at quarterback. I really like both schools, so it will be a hard decision to make,” Apodaca said, according to 247 Sports.