Do new assistants help Vanderbilt’s late push in recruiting pre-NSD?

The Vanderbilt Commodores hired two new coordinators this week, according to numerous reports. Wisconsin offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig will take over an ailing Commodores offense. New Orleans Saints defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff will accept the role of defensive coordinator.

Vanderbilt’s new staff needs to focus on recruiting with National Signing Day approaching. The Commodores rank No 53 overall and No. 13 in the SEC for the 2015 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The team is targeting several prospects and needs to gain more commitments before the Feb. 4 deadline.

Both coordinators should provide Vanderbilt with a strong selling point given their past experience. Ludwig has worked as a D1 offensive coordinator since 1997. The former wide receiver spent the past two seasons with the Badgers, also serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

Wisconsin ranked No. 3 overall in rushing offense and No. 22 in total offense. Running back Melvin Gordon led the nation with 2,336 yards and 26 touchdowns on 309 attempts, finishing second for the Heisman Trophy.

Ludwig should play a factor in earning the commitment of local prospect Ke’Shawn Vaughn. Vanderbilt is in the Pearl-Cohn senior’s top-5, but has fallen behind Louisville and Purdue. Ludwig needs to sway the three-star running back into staying in Nashville to provide the Commodores with some depth behind Ralph Webb at running back.

McGriff should also provide Vanderbilt with a strong recruiting pitch. The veteran coach is a former Vanderbilt assistant under James Franklin who spent one year as a defensive backs coach and defensive recruiting coordinator in 2011. After a stint at Ole Miss, the veteran coach joined New Orleans in 2013 and led its secondary to a No. 2 ranking in opponent passing yards per ams (194.1 ypg.)

With several years of professional and SEC coaching experience, McGriff has a long list of recognizable players that have worked within his scheme. The ultimate goal for a prized recruit is to make it to the professional level and the veteran coach should use this to his advantage on the recruiting trail.

The two coordinators should provide the Commodores with a boost before National Signing Day, but nothing too drastic. Vanderbilt is, at the moment, a down program that doesn’t seem like a top destination to prized recruits. However, Derek Mason’s new staff should be able to find some under the radar prospects and fill the 2015 class by Feb. 4.

Jason Hall

A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky