Jason Edwards commitment is direction confirmation for Vanderbilt

It's hard to overstate the importance of that one.

As Vanderbilt welcomes North Texas transfer Jason Edwards to campus, it also welcomes evidence that Mark Byington and his staff aren't all talk.

Byington talked a big game about what he could do on the recruiting trail as he was introduced. On Sunday, he and his staff backed it up.

So did Vanderbilt.

Iowa, Kansas, Gonzaga, Providence, Auburn, Florida, LSU, BYU, Creighton, Miami, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Louisville, Arizona State, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Georgia...and Vanderbilt.

That's the list of schools Edwards heard from since putting his name in the portal. The last time Vanderbilt beat out a list like that may not even be in recent memory.

That doesn't happen without a heck of a recruiting pitch and some real backing from administration on the NIL and facilities side.

Vanderbilt is batting in a league on the recruiting trail that it hasn't seemed to much recently.

This one confirms that those things are heading in the right direction. More than anything; it confirms that Vanderbilt has a chance.

A chance that it hasn't seemed to have lately and a chance this season.

Edwards paired with what Vanderbilt already has committed gives it a chance to do something that seemed like a longshot early on, competing in year one of Mark Byington's tenure.

It's that big of a get. It's season altering.

This is the most reason for optimism that Vanderbilt has had in a long, long time. Not the type of optimism that arose after it beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena and at the SEC Tournament.

Long-term optimism.

Optimism that this program could bat in a league that it hasn't in years. Not only on the trail, but on the floor.

That isn't a guarantee by any stretch. But who's to say that it can't be done. With what Byington has done in the last month, it'd be silly to count him out.