Clark Lea and the Vanderbilt staff received a bit of bad news on the recruiting trail on Wednesday as one of the Commodores' top safety prospects officially committed to Iowa State.
3-Star safety Bryson Williams from Omaha, Nebraska took to social media to announce his decision, choosing the Cyclones over Vanderbilt, Washington State, Colorado state and more.
Cyclone Nation I’m locked in #AGTG pic.twitter.com/TwmV0zcyZv
— Bryson Williams (@bwilliams_2828) June 18, 2025
His post read, "First and foremost, I want to thank God. None of this would without him. Thank you to my mom for always being my biggest supporter, and to my dad for teaching me everything I know about football. (...) With that being said, I'm excited to announce that I'll be continuing my academic and athletic career at Iowa State University. Go Cyclones."
Williams spoke highly of the Commodores following his June 6 Nashville visit, saying, "I can see myself playing for [Vanderbilt]. They have a great staff, and I really believe that with what coach Lea is doing with the program, it would be a great fit."
While it looked as if Lea and his staff were certainly in the race, the Nebraska native ultimately decided to choose Iowa State, becoming the Cyclones' 16th commit of the class.
Despite losing out on Williams, the Commodores still hold 13 commitments in the 2026 recruiting class, most recently landing 3-Star wide receiver Keeyshawn Tabuteau on June 17. While landing a player of Williams' caliber would have certainly been a major boost to the class, Lea and the staff seem to be in a great spot as official visit season comes to a close.
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