NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt announced Wednesday that four student-athletes have signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Commodore football program and play for head coach Clark Lea while continuing their academic and athletic careers on West End. These four join the 21 student-athletes who were added during the December signing period.
The February group consists of two running backs, one linebacker and one defensive back. Four states are represented in the signing group with one signee each from Alabama, Georgia, New Jersey and Tennessee.
Alabama running back Dylan Betts-Pauley (Hoover) led his Hoover High School team to a 24-21 quarterfinal victory in the 2020 Class 7A playoffs with a two-yard touchdown run.
A linebacker from Georgia, Michael Mincey Jr. (Waycross) was the Region 2-5A Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and was also a member of the Ware County High School track and field program.
Running back Patrick Smith (Absecon) heads to Nashville from New Jersey after being named NJ.com’s Offensive Player of the Year and earning first team all-state honors for Holy Spirit High School in 2020. During his final campaign, Smith rushed 221 times for 1,719 yards and 16 touchdowns, crossing the 300-yard plateau in a pair of contests and the 200-yard mark in five tilts.
Making the move from McMinnville, Tennessee, to the Music City is defensive back CJ Taylor. The 2020 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Division I Class 6A award winner, Taylor helped Warren County Senior High School to an 8-3 record, the program’s best in 40 years, and a third-place finish in Region 3-6A.
