Exclusive: Four-Star Omarii Sanders to Play Safety for Vanderbilt Football – Sports Illustrated

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Vanderbilt football’s 2027 class is just getting started as the dog days of summer arrive, but there is notable news from one of its prominent recruits coming in with the 2027 class.
Four-star recruit Omarii Sanders will not be playing at the linebacker position when he arrives at Vanderbilt. Instead, Sanders told Vandy On SI he will be playing safety for the Commodores.
“I’ll be playing safety,” Sanders clarified and confirmed to Vandy On SI.
Sanders has been listed and referred to as a linebacker by all major college recruiting sites, but will actually take on a different role.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound originally committed to Vanderbilt Nov. 29. He chose Vanderbilt over LSU, Tennessee and Auburn. On May 31, he doubled down on his commitment to play for Commodores head coach Clark Lea as he announced in a Twitter post his decision to shut down his recruitment to stick with Vanderbilt.
Sanders was the first four-star recruit to commit to Vanderbilt in its 2027 class and is unquestionably the best recruit that Lea is bringing into his team next year.
Per 247Sports’ scouting report on Sanders, he is a defender that shows plenty of burst and speed while having the ability to guard a range of routes. Sanders also has the ability to tackle well and run through contact. The athletic ability that he possesses is an aspect of his game that will likely attract NFL scouts one day.
That report seems to check out along with how Sanders would describe himself as a defender. But Sanders also sees himself as a player that can do it all on defense from playing in coverage to not shying away from the physical side of football.
“I’d say I’m a physical, downhill player who likes to play fast. I’m comfortable in space, can cover and also come up and be physical in the run game. I feel like I can do a little bit of everything and just make plays wherever I’m needed,” Sanders told Vandy On SI.
How big is Sanders’ commitment to Vanderbilt? Per the all-time list of Vanderbilt football recruits on 247Sports’ site, Sanders is listed as the second-best football recruit to ever commit to play in the black and gold.
With his commitment, Vanderbilt is getting a versatile player on defense that seemingly has the ability to play multiple positions regardless of where he will begin his collegiate career on defense. The Nashville native is rated as the No. 2 player in his class in the state of Tennessee and the No. 51 player in the 2027 class.
Sanders’ willingness to play physically is an attitude that Lea’s defense has embraced over the last couple of seasons. Vanderbilt prides itself on mental and physical toughness and Sanders believes that he is an addition that fits that mold.
It may be another season before Sanders arrives on campus and joins the roster, but the excitement and potential impact that he can bring to Vanderbilt in the near future is something that can already be felt.
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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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