After losing its top three quarterbacks to the transfer portal, Vanderbilt has found its quarterback for the 2024 season.
The Commodores have been one of the busiest teams in the nation when it comes to the topic of the transfer portal, with a bevy of players transferring in and out. Quarterbacks AJ Swann, Ken Seals and Walter Taylor all hit the transfer portal after the Commodores’ season ended in late November. Taylor was the quickest of the three to find a home for the 2024 season, shipping off to Colorado to join former Commodore Will Sheppard in the Rocky Mountain state. Swann and Seals have yet to announce which programs they’ll be joining and remain in the portal.
The most recent commitment via the portal, and perhaps the most impactful, is Nate Johnson. The heir apparent to Swann and Seals, who both started games under center last year, Johnson will join the Commodores after serving as the backup at Utah for the past two years. He figures to slot in as Vanderbilt’s QB1 next season, and the 6’1” quarterback is the highest-rated transfer to choose the Commodores this season, per 247Sports.
Johnson, a dual-threat quarterback, brings an added layer to a Vanderbilt offense that ranked dead last in the SEC in total offense last season. The redshirt freshman appeared in seven games last season, passing for 499 yards and 3 touchdowns while adding another 4 scores on the ground. His ability to get it done with both his arm and his legs will be a welcome sight for Vanderbilt, who struggled to run the ball after Mike Wright transferred out of the program in 2022. After losing nearly 20 scholarship players to the transfer portal, head coach Clark Lea & Co. have responded, with Johnson serving as just the most recent of an exciting group of brand-new Commodores. The new leader of the offense will link up with a fellow first-year piece, offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who joins the team after leading the New Mexico State Aggies’ highly efficient offense last season.
