Going into this offseason, Vanderbilt has made it a point of emphasis to attack the line of scrimmage through the transfer portal which has resulted in several offers being sent out. One of those was to a versatile defensive lineman in nearby Murfreesboro after Zaylin Wood entered the transfer portal following MTSU’s firing of head coach Rick Stockstill.
A couple days later and Wood has announced he will spend his last year of eligibility at Vanderbilt under Clark Lea.
Wood saw action early in his career as a Blue Raider but stepped up during his last two seasons to become one of the focal points of that defense, where he was a captain in the 2023 season.
He burst on to the scene in 2022 posting 34 tackles including nine for loss, along with six sacks.
That started with a strong showing in Middle Tennessee’s season opening upset of a ranked Miami team, where he had two sacks and a pick six.
Zaylin fits best as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, but has the ability, at 6’2 and 273 pounds, to be moved across the four man front.
During a tough non-conference slate, he faced two SEC opponents in Alabama and Missouri. Although, he didn’t necessarily put up the biggest numbers, he led a defensive front that held running backs Jase McClellan and Cody Schrader to under four yards per carry.
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