UPDATED: Vanderbilt lands even more recruits who supposedly weren't even considering the Dores

The Commodores just got three more verbal commitments:

• Larry Franklin, one of the top safety prospects in Florida and a solid three-star prospect with offers from Michigan State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Maryland.

• Barron Dixon, an SEC-sized defensive end prospect from the Atlanta area with a solid three stars and offers from Arkansas, Miss State, Ole Miss and Maryland.

• Jimmy Stewart, a skinny outside linebacker/defensive end in the Walker May mold who decommitted from Maryland.

The cool thing about this class: The first you hear a player really wants to go to Vandy is when he commits just a few days before signing day. How often in the past year have we heard the names Dillon van der Wal, Andrew Williamson, Larry Mazyck, Jahmel McIntosh, Jacquese Kirk, Steve Scheu, Larry Franklin and Barron Dixon?

Not very often.

This sure beats hearing for six months that a player is considering Vanderbilt and then at the last minute he commits to say, Tennessee, and you get the feeling he was never serious about us. That was the old way, when he patted ourselves on the back just for being in the running for a player. You call those moral victories, and we’d like to start having some real ones.

Anyway, this class is up to 15 verbal commitments, with quarterback/athlete Josh Grady from Justin Cabbagestalk’s alma mater in Florida deciding between us and a handful of other places like Iowa and South Florida, and with some rumblings that four-star athlete Lafonte Thourogood is considering decommitting from Virginia Tech to join the Dores. Thourogood is projected as a wide receiver but also is a talented quarterback.

Here’s how we’re looking:

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (5)
• James Lewis, Tennessee, 6-5, 295, 3 stars
• Larry Mazyck, Virginia, 6-7, 320, 3 stars
• Jake Bernstein, Illinois, 6-4, 275, 3 stars
• Jose Valedon, Tennessee, 6-4, 270, 2-3 stars
• Spencer Pulley, Tennessee, 6-5, 277, 2-3 stars

SAFETIES (3)
• Larry Franklin, Florida, 6-2, 190, 3 stars
• Jahmel McIntosh, Mississippi, 6-1, 200, 2-3 stars (also listed at WR)
• Andrew Williamson, Texas, 6-2, 180, 0-2 stars

CORNERBACKS (2)
• Derek King, Tennessee, 5-11, 180, 3 stars (also listed at ATH)
• Jacquese Kirk, Alabama, 6-0, 170, 3 stars

TIGHT ENDS (2)
• Dillon van der Wal, California, 6-7, 240, 3-4 stars
• Steve Scheu, Indiana, 6-5, 225, 2-3 stars

RUNNING BACK (1)
• Mitchell Hester, Florida, 5-10, 180, 2-3 stars

DEFENSIVE END/OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS (3)
• Barron Dixon, Georgia, 6-4, 270, 3 stars
• Conor Hart, Michigan, 6-3, 255, 2-3 stars
• Jimmy Stewart, Florida, 6-3, 215, 2-3 stars