Vanderbilt Flips 4-Star Mississippi State Safety Zaire Jones

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Vanderbilt’s second season under head coach Derek Mason may not be starting off the way Commodore Nation had hoped for but there is hope for the future with the solid 2016 recruiting class that is being put together. Mason and company are piece mailing a strong 2016 group and that group got a little bit stronger on Saturday with the verbal commitment of safety Zaire Jones.

Jones jumped on the recruiting map as a junior for Meridian High School being among the team leaders in tackles with 63 stops, three tackles for a loss, and one interception helping the Wildcats to a 7-5 record. The big 6’1”, 190 pound, safety is off to a blistering start in 2015 already coming up with 30 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and two interceptions in five games.

Several teams have been courting Jones even after he committed to Mississippi State in November of last year. In August, Jones decommitted opening his recruiting back up with Vanderbilt being one of the top schools on his list. Among the teams to offer the Mississippi talent include Virginia, Louisiana-Monroe, Indiana, Southern Miss, Troy, and Louisiana Tech with his Top 3 listed teams being Vandy, Missouri, and Mississippi State.

Jones announced his commitment Saturday night via Twitter posting, “It’s time to jump on the boat and Anchor Down. I have verbally committed to Vanderbilt University.”

The Commodores now have 11 verbal commitments to their 2016 recruiting class pulling players from eight different states.

Vanderbilt 2016 Verbal Commitment List

CB Frank Coppet, 6’0”, 180 lbs, St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Fort Lauderdale, FL

SS Zaire Jones, 6’1”, 190 lbs, Meridian HS, Meridian, MS

SS Austin Quillen, 6’0”, 192 lbs, Jenks HS, Jenks, OK

DT Brandon Adams, 6’2”, 320 lbs, Brentwood Academy, Brentwood, TN

DT Drew Birchmeier, 6’4”, 275 lbs, Cosby HS, Midlothian, VA

DT Cameron Tidd, 6’3”, 265 lbs, Center Grove HS, Greenwood, IN

OT Devin Cochran, 6’7”, 300 lbs, Greater Atlanta Christian, Norcross, GA

QB Deuce Wallace, 6’2”, 204 lbs, Sevier County HS, Sevierville, TN

RB Sam Brodner, 5’10”, 210 lbs, Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, IL

TE Turner Cockrell, 6’5”, 210 lbs, Allatoona HS, Acworth, GA

WR Donaven Tennyson, 5’11”, 170 lbs, Benedictine School, Richmond, VA

Photo credit: scout.com; No. 5 Zaire Jones.