In this story:
Vanderbilt’s offensive line is beginning to be repaired through the transfer portal after losing a key piece just a couple of days ago.
Former North Dakota State offensive lineman Beau Johnson announced his commitment to Vanderbilt on X (formerly Twitter) early Monday afternoon. Johnson started every game for North Dakota State this past season as he helped the Bison get to the first round of the FCS Playoffs.
Johnson chose Vanderbilt over Ole Miss, Oregon and Wisconsin per On3’s Steve Wiltfong. Johnson stands at 6-foot-6 and 297 pounds. In 2025, Johnson played 331 pass blocking snaps, allowing no quarterback hits, three sacks and 15 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. His performance this past season made him one of the most desired offensive lineman in the transfer portal.
Johnson’s arrival in Nashville comes at a good time. Three days ago, Vanderbilt offensive lineman Jordan White announced that he was declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, which left a big hole in the Commodores’ offensive front. With Johnson now being at Vanderbilt, he serves as a notable addition to the offense as Vanderbilt looks to reconstruct the roster in a post-Diego Pavia era. Though not official, Johnson could easily serve as one of Vanderbilt’s starting offensive tackles
Johnson was a FCS All-American this past season as North Dakota State went 12-1. His contributions on the offensive helped North Dakota State rank 12th in total offense and third in scoring offense among FCS teams.
Similar to North Dakota State, Vanderbilt was among one of the most lethal offenses this past season, averaging 39.4 points per game and finishing in the top 10 in the FBS in total offense. Johnson and the rest of the Vanderbilt offensive line will have the opportunity in 2026 to see if it can help repeat those numbers.
Johnson was in the class of 2023, where he was unranked out of high school. Johnson hails from Spring Lake Park, Minnesota and graduated from Spring Lake Park High School. Johnson will be getting to Nashville as a junior with multiple years of college eligibility remaining.
Vanderbilt is coming off its best season in program history, hitting the 10-win mark for the first time in program history and beating three different teams in the AP Top 15. Though the season ended in disappointment with a loss to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Vanderbilt had a season to remember.
Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
