Vanderbilt diving back into the Magnolia state

Vanderbilt, like any other SEC school, has generally based most of it's recruiting base in the Southeastern United States. Last fall, 74 players were from what's considered the southeastern states, or at least from the states that are homes to a SEC team. However, none of those players were from the state of Mississippi or Louisiana. In February, the Commodores signed Shreveport standout corner Trey Wilson, making him the first Pelican Prep to sign with the program since David Whittington in 2002, but none from Mississippi. In fact, its believed that the staff only offered one player from the state during the recruiting period.

Though VU hasn't had a Mississippi player since 2006 signee Jonathan Massey spent that year on the Commodore roster before leaving the program, Mississippi players have always played a role in the program. From Kenny Simon to Antuian Bradford to Chris Young and Chris Booker, VU has found some gems before, and when Massey signed in 2006, he was considered VU's top signee that year.

Now, in 2010, the staff appears to be in the hunt for several Magnolia products with such stars as Hattiesburg's Jay Hughes and Vince Taylor, Hollandale's Carlos Thompson and Gulfport's Wes Rea. Not surprisingly, all but Taylor are currently ranked as three or four star rated prospects and for the Commodores to secure their signature, they'll not only have to beat out local SEC programs like Ole Miss and Miss. State, they'll also likely need to beat out the likes of LSU, Arkansas and Alabama.

At this point, both Hughes and Taylor seem interested the most in the Dores with Hughes indicating that both himself and his defensive tackle have thought about the possibility of attending Vanderbilt together. Hughes is a versatile player that could play receiver or defensive back for VU as his speed and body control are coveted in VU's overall athletic philosophy. Taylor is also a agile big man that would seem to fit ideally into VU defensive line coach Rick Logo's approach and scheme.

Thompson has also expressed interest though there seems to be a mounting bit of pressure for him to stay home now that many others have discovered him. The same could be said for Rea and should LSU offer, he'll probably become a Bayou Bengal.

VU's attention to the area doesn't seem to end there. Other players like New Augusta running back Nick Griffin and combo athlete Jaleel Dantzler, Hattiesburg receivers Robert Johnson and Steve McNair Jr., Ocean Springs tight end Travis Dickson, West Point defensive tackle Curtis Virges, Lucedale athlete RJ Spivery and Pearl center John McLendon, have also received attention from Vanderbilt at some point already.

VU recruiting coordinator Warren Belin, Rick Logo and running backs coach Des Kitchings have been linked to the state so far this recruiting period, so with three possible VU coaches casting their eyes on the state, it would seem likely that VU could find a couple of prospects this year.

While recruiting players from Mississippi may not directly effect the win/loss category [neither Ole Miss or Miss. State have been powers in the SEC], there is no dening some of the talent from that area, so while VU tries to continue its pipelines in the southeast, establishing some renewed ones in 2010 could be key for future success in the fertile recruiting ground for years to come.