NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three transfer student-athletes have enrolled at Vanderbilt and will join the football team for spring practice in 2023. Aeneas DiCosmo and Jacob Katona have joined the Commodores from Stanford, while Carson Casteel has transferred from Michigan State.
DiCosmo is an edge defender from Montclair, New Jersey. He played in 29 games for Stanford, making 26 tackles last season including 2.5 for a loss. Katona hails from Birmingham, Alabama, and will play defensive line. Casteel is a linebacker from Florence, Alabama, who appeared in eight games during his career at Michigan State.
The three transfers are joined by three early enrollees as new faces on the roster for spring practice. Sedrick Alexander, Ethan Crisp and Jailen Ruth began their time at Vandy this month.
Alexander is a three-star running back from Austin, Texas. Crisp is a three-star signee from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and plays linebacker. Ruth is a three-star linebacker hailing from Hawthorne, Florida.
Carson Casteel
LB · Junior · 6-2/222
Florence, Ala./Florence/Michigan State
Prior to Vandy
- Played at Michigan State for two seasons
- Academic All-Big Ten in 2022
- Saw action in the final eight games of 2022
- Redshirted as a freshman in 2021
The Casteel File
- Rated the No. 78 inside linebacker in his class by 247Sports
- Slotted a top-75 player in Alabama by both ESPN and 247Sports
- Made 66 tackles, including nine for loss, in just six games as a senior (shorted season due to Covid-19 pandemic)
- Played two seasons at linebacker after started prep career as a defensive back
- Also wrestled in high school, earning TimesDaily Wrestler of the Year in 2019
- Played for coach William Hester at Florence
Aeneas DiCosmo
Edge · Graduate · 6-2/251
Montclair, N.J./Bergen Catholic/Stanford
Prior to Vandy
- Competed at Stanford 2019-22
- Two-time Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll selection
- Made 26 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, as a senior in 2022, appearing in all 12 games
- Played in 11 games with five tackles as a junior, including first career tackle for loss versus Cal
- Saw the field on the Cardinal kickoff return unit when Stanford played at Vanderbilt in 2021
- Appeared in two games as a sophomore and four games as a freshman
The DiCosmo File
- Rated a four-star recruit by ESPN, as well as a top-30 outside linebacker in class by ESPN and Rivals
- Rated the eight-best recruit in New Jersey by ESPN and a top-15 player in the Garden State by 247Sports and Rivals
- Watkins Award finalist in 2019
- Made the finals of The Opening in 2018
- All-State honorable mention and a team captain as a senior
- Made 23 tackles, five for loss with two sacks, while adding a receiving touchdown as a senior, playing in just three games
- Named second team all-state as a junior, leading Bergen Catholic to a state championship
- Made 60 tackles, 17 for loss, with an interception as a junior
- Added 180 receiving yards and a touchdown on six catches during junior season
- Recorded 39 tackles, four sacks and two fumble recoveries in nine games as a sophomore
- Also competed in track and field
- Played for coach Vito Campanile at Bergen Catholic
- Father, Anthony, played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and collegiately at Boston College
- Mother, Maia DeRoche, ran track at St. John’s
- Has three younger siblings, Phoenix-Orion, Amadeus and Cassiopeia
Jacob Katona
DL · Jr. · 6-4/272
Birmingham, Ala./Oak Mountain/Stanford
Prior to Vandy
- Spent two seasons at Stanford (2021-22)
- Did not see game action for the Cardinal
The Katona File
- Made 64 tackles, 7.5 sacks, with two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal as a senior
- Member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Rho Kappa, Spanish Honor Society, English Honor Society and Science Honor Society
- Also played baseball in high school
- Played for coach Cris Bell at Oak Mountain
- Father, Steven, played baseball at Alabama Southern
- Sisters, Maddie and Sarah, play collegiate softball at Dartmouth and Samford, respectively
