Vanderbilt football has made the most of lower-division offensive line transfers to reload each year.
In the past, players like Chase Mitchell, Jordan White and Bryce Henderson have come from the Group of 5 or FCS level. This season, there are as many of those players as ever.
Orion Irving (Sam Houston) and Clinton Azubuike (Northern Arizona) transferred from lower levels prior to the 2025 season but didn't play much. They're looking to take on bigger roles in 2026. They join another FCS transfer tackle, Beau Johnson, from North Dakota State.
"Technique is the biggest thing, especially me coming from a lower G5," Irving said. "Technique was the biggest transition, and we worked on that all through summer, spring, even our breaks in summer, we were
on Zoom getting all the calls and everything."
Irving appeared in eight games in 2025 as a tackle. He's part of a three-way competition for the two starting tackle spots, with his main competitors being Azubuike and Johnson.
Johnson played at the FCS's pre-eminent program in North Dakota State. Teams in the Missouri Valley Football Conference have always had a few NFL-level players, but it's the SEC's depth that sets it apart.
"The physicality up front between the o-line and d-line is kind of similar because NDSU had some guys," Johnson said. "But then I'd say the eye test of the receivers, the running backs, the speed of the game outside has just been way faster to me."
Johnson has been working on keeping his hips down and being patient to avoid committing penalties as he adjusts to the speed of the game.
Azubuike is the most unique story of the three. He is originally from Nigeria and played basketball there but left the country as a teen to attend NFL Academy, a boarding program in England. From there, he got an opportunity at Northern Arizona, then transferred to Vanderbilt after his freshman season there.
The coaches who originally scouted Azubuike liked his measurables − he's currently listed as 6-foot-8 and 310 pounds and has a frame that looks like it could still add more weight. He then went to a combine and put up good testing numbers.
"Me and my dad, before I even thought about playing football, we always watched the NFL draft," Azubuike said. "Anytime it comes, me and my dad, we don't miss it. So I've always been a big fan of football. ... Obviously I had dreams to make the NBA. I was a bit skeptical. But it didn't take much convincing."
Azubuike figures to be one of this team's biggest wild cards. He has all the physical tools to be a top-level tackle, but he has appeared in just two games at Vanderbilt, only one of which came during SEC play.
In the last three NFL drafts, eight of the 23 FCS players drafted have been offensive linemen. It's one of the positions where there is the most talent available at the FCS level. The Commodores have now made a big bet on tapping into that.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Vanderbilt football offensive line is built on lower-division transfers
