Chasing Greatness

“I was kind of nervous because I always was a running back,” Heard continued. “But I remember my first practice, I had a big hit, and ever since then, I just kept building my confidence up from that. Tackling has always just been natural for me.”

In just two high school seasons, Heard began to be noticed by Division I schools for his defensive prowess. Growing up as a Florida State fan, Heard went on to visit the Seminoles and ultimately committed to the program in 2022. But just a few weeks before national signing day, Heard decommitted.

“That was the biggest moment of my life,” Heard said. “I feel like that moment right there is the reason I am who I am right now. I was at an all-time high: highly rated recruit, committed to my dream school. I felt like I had mostly everything I wanted, the only thing I was chasing from there was the NFL. When I hit some adversity right there and I couldn't go to FSU anymore, it just kind of shocked me. [...] I was told I wouldn’t play at the Power Four level. Hearing stuff like that, it just keeps you going.

“I remember just crying, telling my mom, ‘I'm sorry. I failed you.’ Because at the time, a couple weeks away from signing day, there aren’t really schools available that are taking more high school kids. Man, it took me a week to get that off my mind. But ultimately, that moment right there is going to drive me for the rest of my life.”

Heard eventually committed to Florida Atlantic in February 2024. In his freshman season for the Owls, Heard played in all 12 games. He led the team with 82 total tackles, including 53 solo stops, more than 20 ahead of the next-highest player. A breakout debut season created interest in Heard among multiple teams in the transfer portal. Florida Atlantic then fired its head coach before the season’s end, allowing Heard to submit an early intent to transfer with the goal of reaching the Power Four level he had been told he couldn’t play at.

But like many other current players have said, whether coming to Nashville as high school recruits or college transfers, one school stood out for Heard among the rest: Vanderbilt.

“My high school was basically like the high school version of Vanderbilt,” Heard said. “Prestigious academics, elite athletics. So coming here felt familiar, it just made all the sense in the world. I knew a lot of people who had already come here so it was a no-brainer for me. When I visited and spoke to Coach [Clark] Lea, Coach [Melvin] Rice and Coach [Steve] Gregory and heard the opportunity they had for me, I couldn’t deny it. And it’s always been about a 40-year plan instead of a four-year plan; you can't get a better education in the SEC than Vanderbilt.

“And then the underdog story, the chip-on-the-shoulder story,” Heard continued. “I talked to Diego [Pavia] on my visit, hearing him say nobody respects us. And that's how it was my whole life; I was always the lower recruit, always the person that got overlooked. I just love being the guy that has a chip on his shoulder.”

Moving from the AAC to the SEC may seem to be a drastic jump but Heard has taken it in stride. He has developed his own process to successfully compete at a high level, one that, as he describes, is rooted in staying ‘lame.’

“I feel like it's all in the small details that I do over and over again, and people are starting to see that I've been doing that for a very long time,” Heard said. “I haven’t always gotten the results I wanted, but I’ve stayed the course and now I am. My high school coach always told me that you want to be lame. Because when people call you lame, it means you're doing the right thing. When you’re not being lame, you're going out, you're having fun, but you're not keeping your main focus. I feel like it’s easy to slip up in this world right now. So I try to be the lamest person ever by doing the same thing over and over and over again. Some of the guys will sometimes laugh at me, saying ‘Bro, we know what you're going to eat Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
We know where you're going to be Saturday night.’

“I do the same thing over and over again. That's why I think my play has been consistent now, it’s all a ripple effect.”

A strict routine has paid off for Heard; his play on the field has done nothing but remain consistent since his arrival. And he is again on pace to lead the Dores in multiple defensive categories this season. But off the field, where little has come easy for Heard, the transition to Vanderbilt has been the exception.

“This place has been everything I wished for and more,” Heard said. “It was my first time coming to Nashville when I got here. It's not too big compared to Atlanta, but there’s still enough space where you can do stuff outside of Vandy. The people here are just so welcoming, respectful. Coach Rice, he’s one of the realest coaches I’ve ever had. You don't get too many coaches like him in college who are the same person every day.
You don't get too many head coaches where the door is always open; I watched a lot of film with Coach Lea last year. Not many head coaches just let you walk in their room and watch film with them. You don’t get too many defensive coordinators who will move you around as much as they move me around and play you to your strengths. It's just a blessing, man. I love this staff – they’re completely open [to the players]. They let you use your strengths to a high ability.”

Much of Heard’s growth, both as a player and as a man, can be attributed to his own self-confidence and work ethic. He possesses a refusal to be denied what he believes he can accomplish. But his journey has not been one that he has taken alone; Heard would not be who he is without his mom and his faith.

“My mom, she’s the reason I work as hard as I do,” Heard said. “Even to this day right now, my mom has always worked two jobs. Every day, she’s barely even sleeping. I’ve told her plenty of times she doesn’t have to do that anymore, but that's just her mindset. That always just keeps me going, like, I can't let my mama outwork me. We’d joke with each other like that. She’ll text me, ‘I woke up before you today,’ or something like that. We try to outwork each other every day, and that's really how we’ve built our bond. Just working hard, sacrificing for each other, because we've been through a lot. There’s been times when we didn't have any lights, we’ve had our house lit up with candles. She and I are just so tight because we've been through some of the lowest times and stuck together.

“And I want people to know this about me,” Heard continued. “I'm sometimes quiet about my faith, but if you chase God, everything else is going to chase you. You start chasing everything else and leave God behind, you're never going to be fulfilled. That's why I feel like I’m the most fulfilled I’ve ever been in my life, because I'm chasing the right thing and everything else is chasing me.”

With at least six games left in his junior year, as well as the entirety of his senior season remaining, Heard has plenty of time to continue his quest for greatness at Vanderbilt. But when asked how he wanted to be remembered, beyond being one of the all-time great Commodores, Heard circled back to his work ethic.

“I was never the top recruit,” Heard said. “I was never the 6-foot-4 perfect prospect. I’ve just grinded, stayed in, kept working. I feel like sometimes people get caught on preseason expectations being the perfect prospect and stuff like that. If you outwork the work, ultimately, it's going to show up for you. It may not show up for you in year one, it might not show up in year two, but ultimately if you keep going, the results will come.”

Vanderbilt faces Arkansas at 6 p.m. on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at FirstBank Stadium. Game coverage will be available via ESPN2 and 94.9 The Fan. For more information, updates and exclusive content from the Vanderbilt football team, follow @VandyFootball on Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok.