Three-star prospect picks Vandy

Vanderbilt University had big success on the football field this year, making an appearance in the Music City Bowl and winning seven games. The success has now extended into the recruiting arena as the Commodores are beginning to be major players on the recruiting landscape. Recently the Vanderbilt coaching staff picked up a big local commit with an impressive offer list.

Thad McHaney out of Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy, one of the top programs in the state of Tennessee, had previously committed to Ole Miss over offers from a number of major programs but then had a change of heart.

"I'm committed to Vandy," McHaney said on Sunday. "On Monday I decommitted from Ole Miss to go to Vanderbilt."

After taking an official visit to the Nashville campus this weekend, McHaney reaffirmed his comfort with the rising SEC program.

"I just liked the people around it and the education and the overall program," he said. "I like where they're taking the program. It was a great visit. I loved it. It was good."

McHaney had a number of scholarship offers and lots of options. The decision took a long time for him but when he found out he was able to get into the prestigious academic program, he had looked long enough.

"It was a hard decision," he said. "It took me a pretty long while. Academically for me, I had to work to get in and I got in. I like my decision."

McHaney is a tall, versatile prospect that could project at a number of different positions but says that Vanderbilt sees him at defensive end, a role McHaney is happy to play.