Western Michigan DL transfer Mason Nelson commits to Vanderbilt

Western Michigan defensive lineman transfer Mason Nelson has committed to Vanderbilt, he announced Wednesday via his Instagram. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Nelson saw the majority of his playing time with the Broncos over the past two seasons. He appeared in 25 games during that span, totaling 62 tackles (13 for loss), five sacks and one forced fumble.

Nelson is considered the No. 1,365 overall player and No. 138 defensive lineman in the transfer portal according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He played high school football at Howell (MI) and was unranked coming out of the 2021 class.

Vanderbilt is coming off of its first winning season in more than a decade, finishing 7-6 after winning the Birmingham Bowl. The Commodores have so far added 17 players and lost 18 more through the portal to rank as the No. 26 team in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings.

Additionally, Nelson is the fourth defensive lineman that Vanderbilt has brought in this offseason. That in mind, he’ll have plenty of competition as he looks to earn playing time.

The spring transfer portal opened Wednesday, April 16 and will close 10 days later on Friday, April 25. As of this writing, more than 3,600 FBS scholarship players have entered the transfer portal in the 2024-25.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Southeast Missouri State transfer DL Jaylon Stone commits to Vanderbilt

Southeast Missouri State transfer defensive lineman Jaylon Stone is headed to the SEC. He’s taking his talents to Vanderbilt via the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned.

Stone has a three-star rating in the On3 Transfer Portal Industry Rankings. He’s the No. 304 overall transfer, and the No. 24 defensive lineman at the moment. Now, he’ll be hoping to out-play his rating with the Commodores.

Over the course of his two seasons with the RedHawks, Stone accumulated 40 total tackles and two sacks. Vanderbilt believes there’s something special here, so we’ll see what they tap into in 2025. There’s certainly some potential moving forward for their defensive line, as they look to keep up the momentum they gained in 2024.

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this report.