
Clark Lea and the Commodores' coaching staff continued to roll on the recruiting trail this week, landing the fourth commitment in the 2026 class in the last month alone.
3-Star tight end Palmer Riley from Menlo School in Atherton, California took to social media on Thursday to share the news of his commitment to Vanderbilt, saying in his post, "Beyond grateful to announce my commitment to Vanderbilt University! Go Commodores!"
Beyond grateful to announce my commitment to Vanderbilt University! Go Commodores!@BrandonHuffman @GregBiggins @alecsimpson5 @PGregorian @westcoastpreps_ @MitchBookLive @CoachMikeHillSF @coachj_lepak @Coach_Flaherty pic.twitter.com/sr5cu7F7Yg
— Palmer Riley 3⭐️ (@palmerriley52) October 23, 2025
Standing at 6-foot-5, 235 lbs., Riley is a two way player and is actually listed as an edge rusher by most recruiting services. He comes in at the No. 113 spot for the edge rusher position as well as in the state of California, according to 247Sports' composite ranking.
In his junior season for Menlo, Riley racked up an impressive 96 tackles, 21.0 TFL's and 4.5 sacks, helping his team to an 8-4 overall record and semifinal playoff berth.
The California native chose the Commodores over schools such as Dartmouth, Harvard and Princeton, accepting a walk-on spot with Vanderbilt over a potential scholarship with an Ivy League program.
Riley is now the second walk-on prospect to select the Commodores over the Ivy League, joining Nate Fleming who recently decommitted from Columbia in favor of Vanderbilt on October 12.
With the addition of Riley, Vanderbilt is now up to 18 scholarship players in the 2026 class and two walk-ons. The Commodores are ranked among the top 50 classes in the nation, and are just over a month from locking many of those talented players in during the early signing period.
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