Edward Aschoff, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Recapping Vanderbilt's national signing day

And on this final day of the second week of February, we will conclude our deeper examinations of all 14 SEC teams' 2016 recruiting class. Last on the list is Vanderbilt, which welcomed in Derek Mason's third class:

Biggest need heading into signing day: Mason had to secure some solid offensive playmakers in this third recruiting class. His defense made tremendous strides with him taking it over in 2015, but the offense was incredibly sluggish, thanks in large part to poor quarterback play. But Vandy didn't have many true receiving threats about whom defenses had to worry. Sophomore Trent Sherfield was a pleasant surprise for the Commodores last year, but he was the only wide receiver to catch at least 25 passes (51). The loss of C.J. Duncan before the season didn't help. Vandy also needs to replace tight end Steven Scheu, who was second on the team with 26 receptions last year.

How it was addressed: Mason was able to sign three receivers and a tight end, but it's tough to know right now if any can contribute immediately or if any can develop into top-flight players. Receiver Donaven Tennyson is a little on the smaller side, but he's a speedster. Still, he ranked as the No. 106 receiver by ESPN, which is the highest of Vandy's three receiver signees. Kalijia Lipscomb is a bigger prospect, who isn't down on speed by any means, but, again, we have no clue what his potential is or how high his ceiling will be.

Position of strength: With how Mason runs his defense, he needs to have a heavy dose of defensive backs. Well, he and his coaches did quite well for themselves in the body department, signing five DBs -- three safeties and two cornerbacks. What helps is that not all of these guys have to come right in and be stars because four secondary starters are back. But the gem of the class is ESPN 300 safety Joejuan Williams, who has a chance to play immediately with Andrew Williamson graduating. Williams is also already on campus, as is fellow four-star safety Zaire Jones.

Biggest remaining question mark: With Vandy losing just two starting offensive linemen, including senior center Spencer Pulley, you'd think that the Dores might be OK here, but Vandy needed to bolster its depth with some help from this class. Mason and his coaches signed four linemen, with three-star center Sean Auwae being the best of the bunch. This entire unit still has a long way to go, and it's hard to tell if any of these signees can come in and help immediately. Auwae probably will be asked to do more this fall with Pulley gone, but his emergence as an immediate plug-in guy isn't a guarantee.

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