Vanderbilt Football Loaded With Gwinnett Talent

The Division l Prospect Pool from Gwinnett County, GA is well represented on the Vanderbilt Commodore Football Team. The Dores may have more Gwinnetians on their roster than any other team in the SEC. Head Coach Bobby Johnson is a smart man for tapping into the Gwinnett talent pool.

In this blog, we are going to take a closer look at the 6 Gwinnett players on the Commodore Roster. First is Sr. DT Greg Billinger who hales from Lilburn, GA and Parkview HS. Billinger is listed at 6'3 297 lbs. Back in 2007, he was a key reserve at Defensive Tackle behind two seniors, Theo Horrocks and Gabe Hall. during that year, Billinger made two tackles against his home state rival Georgia and recorded a tackle and interception in a win over Eastern Michigan. As a Freshman in 06, Billinger was the only True Freshman who saw action for Vanderbilt on the interior line and saw action that year in every game.

while playing for the Parkview Panthers under Head Coach Cecil Flowe, Billinger was Team Captain his Senior Year on a squad that went 11-2 and reached the third round of the Georgia Class AAAAA State Playoffs. However, Billinger had to miss the second half of that season due to injuries suffered when his family was involved in a serious car accident in near Nashville that year. Coach Flowe had this to say about Billinger: "Greg is an outstanding football player, a three-year starter for our program. His production this season was limited after a serious car accident. ", coach Flowe said. "Greg knows what it takes to succeed and has good understanding of the game. He has very good quickness and does real well getting proper leverage. He can become a very good player." Flowe continued. Billinger has indeed become that "very good player."

Next, we look at WR Terrance Jeffers, a Red Shirt Junior who hales from Lawrenceville, GA and Berkmar HS. Jeffers actually began his collegiate career at Connecticut before transferring to Vanderbilt. Jeffers started 8 games for the Huskies back in 2008. I was unable to find his stats for the Huskies' 08 season, but one Uconn beat writer referred to him as a "top snarler." He was Uconn's top receiver in 08, and his departure has commenced stiff competition to replace him. Uconn's loss is Vandy's gain. Jeffers will be a big boost to the Dores WR Corps.

Defensive Tackle T.J. Greenstone is a Red Shirt Sophomore and is also from Lawrenceville and prepped at Collins Hill HS. Greenstone didn't see action his Freshman Year but while serving as a Defensive Tackle on the Scout Team, Greenstone impressed his coaches so much that he earned the team's postseason Defensive Scout MVP Award. Greenstone also was recognized as team's Defensive Scout of the Week after victory over Miami (Ohio).

While playing for the Collins Hill Eagles, Greenstone was a Senior Captain and two-year starter at Defensive Tackle. During his Junior and Senior seasons, Collins Hill advanced to AAAAA State Playoffs. Greenstone was also named to Atlanta Journal Constitution's Gwinnett Super 11 Team.

Next, we look at Red Shirt Junior RB Kennard Reeves. During his Sophomore Year at Vanderbilt in 07, Reeves played Special Teams and was a reserve tailback in 11 games. As a Freshman in 06, Reeves redshirted but earned Offensive Scout of the Week honors after Michigan and Kentucky games. During his high school career at Duluth HS, Reeves was a Senior captain and a three-year starter at running back. He also started at Safety as a sophomore and Cornerback as a junior... In 2005, Reeves rushed for 870 yards on 120 carries, scoring 12 TDs. As a Wide Receiver, he caught 11 passes for 150 yards and served as the team's kickoff returner. Reeves earned First Team AAAAA All-Region as Senior and rushed for 670 yards during his Junior season. Reeves was also a three-year letter winner in track & field, earning coaches' award as junior. Perhaps most importantly, Kennard Reeves was an honors student, and named on the Academic All-State Team.
What's even more impressive is that Reeves accomplished his football exploits during three losing seasons.

All Georgia Bulldog and GAC Spartan fans no the name Southerland. I'm referring to GAC and later Georgia standout TE Brandon Southerland, but there is another Southerland that folks need to take note of, Brandon's younger brother Blake Southerland. Blake Southerland is a Freshman Line Backer from Lawrenceville, GA and played high school ball at Greater Atlanta Christian School. While at GAC, Southerland had 115 tackles (62 solo) for GAC. He was named All-State by the AJC and was a Gwinnett County Touchdown Club First-Teamer. Look for big things from Blake Southerland in the next four seasons.

Our final Gwinnetian Commodore is Line Backer Tristan Strong. A Red Shirt Freshman from Loganville, GA and Grayson HS, Strong was a Senior captain, helping squad to 10-3 overall record and appearance in Georgia AAAAA state quarterfinals. He was a two-year starter at LB and a three-year letter winner. As a senior, Strong posted 46 total tackles, 31 solo stops, three QB sacks and a pair of interceptions and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.Strong returned two punts for a1 4.5-yard average... In 2006, Grayson went 6-6, advancing to the first round of the Georgia Class AAAAA State Playoffs. As a Junior, Strong contributed 51 total tackles, seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He was named to the first team 5A All-State Squad and All-Gwinnett County Team. To top it off, Strong played in the this year's Georgia North-South All-Star Game. Oh, by the way, he also played Varsity Basketball for Grayson High.

The Vanderbilt fans will be glad the Bobby Johnson tapped in to the rich talent located here in Gwinnett County, GA. Some of these players have already made an impact on Commodore Football, and the Freshman such as Blake Southerland and Tristan Strong are ready to make their mark. More information on these stories can be found by visiting www.vucommodores.cstv.com/sport and http://projects.ajc.com/playertracker/player/blake-southerland/.