Vandy lands former Louisville OL commit

Coming off a weekend official visit to Vanderbilt, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) offensive lineman Tyler Steen told VandySports.com that he would wait until February to sign. However, things change, and on Wednesday night the 3-star prospect announced his commitment and signing to the Commodores.

“I just felt like committing to Vanderbilt was the right move at the right time. I just made the decision. I made the decision to commit last night, and I was reassured today. Coach Mason was excited when I told him. He is really happy to have me at Vanderbilt,” said Steen.

“I thought my (official) visit was great. When I got up there, I knew it was a great place. The coaches are great people, and the campus was great. That is the first time that I’ve visited Nashville. My player host was Grant Miller.”

The 3-star prospect had been committed to Louisville since September and starred at both defensive tackle and offensive tackle for the national powerhouse program out of Florida that finished 12-3 this past season.

“I like the academic aspect of Vanderbilt. I also like the competition aspect as I get the chance to play in the SEC. I really like what they got going on there. They are fixing to do something special,” said Steen.

Even though he is widely viewed as a defensive line prospect, Vanderbilt likes the 6-foot-6 and 280-pound lineman on the offensive side.

“They like me as an offensive lineman. Coach Norcross is a great coach, and he really knows what he is doing. He’s been around and has a lot of experience. I believe that he will be able to teach me and the offensive line to success,” said Steen.

The Florida prospect joins Wyatt Smock and Daniel Dawkins as Vanderbilt's other offensive line signees in the 2018 class.

Steen chose Vanderbilt over the likes of Duke, Louisville, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Virginia, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Cal, and others.