Vanderbilt Football Secures 2027 Three-Star Running Back Commit – Sports Illustrated

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Vanderbilt football added another recruit to its 2027 class Thursday morning with the addition of a three-star running back.
Running back MJ Gideon announced Thursday that he is committed to the Commodores. The Madison, Alabama native finished his junior year at James Clemens High School this past season.
Gideon is a consensus three-star recruit, according to 247Sports. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back is ranked as the No. 26 recruit in the state of Alabama and the No. 65 running back in the 2027 class.
Gideon received 13 offers and committed to Vanderbilt over Missouri, Ole Miss, Appalachian State, South Alabama and others.
This past season, Gideon carried the ball 191 times for James Clemens and racked up 1,221 yards and 15 touchdowns. Out of the backfield, Gideon caught 36 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown as James Clemens went 5-6 in 7A ball last season.
Gideon is the seventh player in Vanderbilt’s 2027 class. The Commodores have the 38th-best 2027 class in college football currently. The class is highlighted by four-star linebacker Omarii Sanders and three-star tight end Grant Haviland.
Gideon is the first running back from next year’s class to commit to Vanderbilt. Gideon committing to Vanderbilt seems to be a good fit considering how head coach Clark Lea and his offensive coordinator Tim Beck utilizes running backs in their offense, as well as the way in which Vanderbilt running back coach Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford has developed the room.
The Commodores have one of the more dangerous running back rooms in the country right now with Sedrick Alexander and MK Young leading the backfield for Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt also has Jamezell Lassiter, Gabe Fields, Evan Hampton and Izayah Lee in the position room.
But with Alexander and MK Young both entering their senior seasons, Vanderbilt is going to need to replenish its running back depth in the near future. Gideon may have the opportunity to step in and be one of the next big contributors to the Commodores’ backfield down the road.
With the numbers he has put up in high school thus far, Gideon seems to be a running back that can pose a dual-threat to opposing defenses. The running ability looks to be there as well as the ability to catch passes out of the backfield from time to time.
Gideon has a visit with Vanderbilt scheduled for June 5.
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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.
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