Sept. 12, 2014
By Jerome Boettcher | Subscribe to Commodore Nation
National Signing Day came and went, and Andrew East was without a college football scholarship.
The calendar flipped to March, his high school days nearing an end and his college future murky. He was nearly ready to make a decision and join his brother on the football team at Division III Wheaton College near Chicago.
Then the phone rang one Friday night. It was either late March or early April 2010. East can’t remember. But what he does remember is hearing the voice of then-head football coach Bobby Johnson on the line, offering him a full scholarship to Vanderbilt.
After the stunning death of top recruit Rajaan Bennett just a month before, Johnson and the Commodores had a scholarship available.
“I think it is completely God’s will that I’m here,” East says now, as he enters his fifth year at Vanderbilt. “Usually by March (of your senior year) even kids who aren’t playing sports know where they’re going (to college). But it was crazy. Everything fell in place. I think for sure I’m here to honor (Bennett), and I try to do my best. You always got to be grateful. I don’t think coming out of high school I would have ever dreamed of starting 36 games. Definitely God’s will.”
Their circumstances may be different, but two of East’s Vanderbilt teammates were in the same boat late in the recruiting process.
When C.J. Duncan signed his National Letter of Intent he didn’t have a scholarship sewn up. Hendersonville native Joe Townsend didn’t receive a scholarship offer until the night before signing day.
They were the last guys in. But once the door opened, they pounced on the opportunity.
“It was a humbling experience because everybody wants a full scholarship,” Duncan said. “It just makes you mentally tough. You want to keep your head down, working hard. And just play with a chip on your shoulder.”
Duncan arrived at a Vanderbilt football camp the summer before his senior year of high school. He was pleased with his performance, as were the coaches. But the 2013 signing class  though it wouldn’t be inked on paper for another seven months  was nearly completed.
At the time, there wasn’t a scholarship to offer to Duncan, who played a variety of positions, namely quarterback and safety, at St. James School in Montgomery, Ala.
“I stayed on their radar, kept in touch,” Duncan said. “(Former Vanderbilt coach James) Franklin told me when I came to my official (visit), ‘I don’t bring guys to officials that I haven’t offered but I want you to come. As soon as something opens up, you’re going to have it. I just don’t have anything open right now.'”
Duncan also received scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Southern Mississippi and Troy. But he believed Vanderbilt was special enough to hold out for, even if a scholarship wasn’t in hand.
“I felt like this was the right fit for me and the type of person I am and how I kind of grew up,” he said. “Being in the private school system most of my life and having parents that demand academics, I felt like this was my type of school. I liked the energy around here, where it was taking off. Having the opportunity to change the reputation around here, having my fingerprints on things, being a part of it, that’s exciting. That’s what made Vandy pretty attractive.”
So on National Signing Day 2013, Duncan signed a national letter of intent to play for the Commodores. He was expecting to have to gray-shirt  he’d miss the 2013 season and enroll in January of 2014, when his scholarship would begin.
But it never reached that point. Even before he stepped on campus last fall, he received a full scholarship offer. He redshirted the 2013 season but continued to impress the coaches with his athleticism, even playing the role of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel on the scout team the week before playing Texas A&M.
First-year coach Derek Mason switched him to wide receiver during spring drills, and the 5-foot-11 Duncan hopes to play a big role this season.
“I’m excited for this year. I feel a lot more prepared now than I did coming in,” he said. “In the SEC, at this level, you have to be prepared mentally and physically. If it’s not both, then you will be exposed. Being able to sit back and learn the game a lot more and become stronger and faster and really learning from the likes of Jordan Matthews and Jonathan Krause as mentors, it really did help.”
Townsend was ready to sign with Middle Tennessee State, but Vanderbilt was always his first choice.
He grew up a Commodore fan, as his aunt was a season ticket holder. He wore the black and gold colors while playing on the offensive line for Hendersonville High.
But Vanderbilt hadn’t offered him a scholarship. Then James Franklin, who had been on the job less than two months, got hold of some film of Townsend and asked him into his office two days before signing day. The next day, Townsend had an offer from his dream school.
Entering his fourth year (he redshirted in 2011), he has grown into a solid piece for the offensive line. He has started 22 games at center the past two years and was named to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which is presented to the nation’s top center.
“It was a no-brainer. I switched that morning,” Townsend said of his college decision. “I chose Vanderbilt. It is always where I wanted to be. It is definitely a dream come true.”
Before every game, East bows his head and says a prayer in honor of Rajaan Bennett. Once a year, East calls Bennett’s mother, Narjaketha. Every summer, before camp, East reads his copy of “Strength.” It is an essay Bennett wrote weeks before he was killed in his Georgia home protecting his mother and brother.
East never met Rajaan. But his death allowed him to come to Vanderbilt on a full ride. He makes sure he doesn’t take the opportunity for granted.
“Obviously it was mixed emotions,” he said. “Here I was excited to go to Vanderbilt and pursue my dream of playing D-I football. But at the same time, I have Rajaan, who I try to honor in the way I play, in the way I work in my time here at Vanderbilt. It has been a really cool process of me just trying to honor him. He was such a leader, such a great football player.”
East played defensive end and linebacker at North Central High School in Indianapolis. He was also a three-year starter at long snapper. His father was the long snapper at Purdue. His brother snapped at Wheaton College.
“It is kind of a family business now,” East joked.
Recruited by then-Vanderbilt linebackers coach Warren Belin, East believed he would get a chance at linebacker. When he got to campus, he realized long snapping was his ticket to playing time.
“The last four years have been a continually humbling experience,” he said. “Long snapper, nobody interviews you. It is not a glorious (position). Nobody really knows your name. I’ve loved it, and I’m so grateful to be here. I never would have dreamed of this. Now I’m working toward my fifth year. I’m trying to train for the next level. It’s crazy. You know?”
When the season ends, East will turn his focus to training for a possible career in the NFL  as a long snapper.
But he’ll also have two degrees to fall back on. This past May, he earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Next May, he’ll receive his master’s degree in business administration.
Five years ago he wasn’t sure if Vanderbilt would be in his future. Instead, the university is helping mold his future.
“I’ll walk out of here in five years with two degrees,” he said. “It’s really been a huge blessing to be here. I’m very grateful for my experience.”
