Vanderbilt Football Adds Another Secondary Piece From the Portal

NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt’s offseason renovation of its defensive backfield continued Wednesday with the addition of former Oklahoma State cornerback Jaylin Davies, giving the Commodores their third secondary transfer since the portal window opened.

Davies, a sixth-year senior who began his career as a four-star signee out of California powerhouse Mater Dei, has already played for three Power-4 programs. After redshirting at Oregon in 2021 and appearing in only two games, he transferred to UCLA, where he became a full-time starter. His 2022 breakout featured three interceptions—one returned for a touchdown—plus 32 tackles. The next fall he started 12 of 13 games, registering 43 stops, six pass breakups and another pick. In 2024 he logged 21 tackles and half a sack while again starting every contest.

The corner’s most recent stop was Stillwater. Davies made a single appearance for Oklahoma State last October before a leg injury against Houston ended his campaign.

Now fully cleared, Davies arrives in Nashville looking to anchor Clark Lea’s secondary and provide immediate ball-production. When healthy he has shown a knack for finding the football, with four career interceptions and nine total passes defended across 27 starts.

His commitment follows earlier portal additions of Clemson safety Ricardo Jones and Texas A&M cornerback Cobey Sellers, offsetting the offseason departure of starting safety Randon Fontenette to Colorado. Lea has now restocked the back end while also adding reinforcements along the offensive line and at wide receiver as Vanderbilt prepares for life after record-setting quarterback Diego Pavia.

The Commodores are coming off the most successful season in program history, posting a 10-3 record and a ReliaQuest Bowl berth against Iowa.