Vanderbilt beats Michigan and others for LB Ethan Hauser

Ethan Hauser surprised a lot of people with his commitment to Vanderbilt.

Earlier this spring, Michigan generated real momentum for the Buford (Ga.) linebacker and looked like a major threat to pull him out of the South. Missouri, Tennessee and Texas A&M all remained heavily involved too.

Then Clark Lea and his staff kept pushing, and it paid off.

How did Vanderbilt land one of the best linebackers in Georgia?

“Relationships, consistency, and their vision for me,” Hauser told Rivals. “It definitely came down to the wire. Michigan and Vanderbilt were both my leaders for a long time.

“Vanderbilt definitely saw me as a priority in many different ways. The little details mattered in my recruitment. They have a great plan for me and they really made me a top priority.”

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As Hauser said, the small things made a difference.

Hauser is a huge Cincinnati Bengals fan, and Vanderbilt found creative ways to make the recruitment personal, including connecting him with former Commodore and Bengals linebacker Oren Burks.

“They had him reach out to me and offer guidance,” Hauser said. “That was so cool. They really thought of different ways to make me feel important.

“Then, Jared Curtis texted me too. He was checking in and told me if I needed anything or had any questions about Vanderbilt, just ask.

“Things like that definitely showed me these guys are serious about me,” Hauser said.

Clark Lea became another major factor. Hauser built a strong relationship with Lea throughout the process and believes the Vanderbilt head coach is building something special in Nashville.

“He’s definitely building something very special. He emphasized his vision for me at Vanderbilt and what he sees me doing in the program. That gets me excited.”

Relationships with linebackers Nick Lezynski and assistant Jaxon York also helped Vanderbilt close the gap late.

Relationships were strong, and Hauser felt wanted in Nashville, and his faith played a major role in the final decision as well.

“When it finally came down to it, I felt like God was leading me to Vanderbilt,” Hauser said. “The recruiting process looks appealing, and I am blessed to go through it, but I am thankful to be done with it.

“Vanderbilt is just the best situation for me in all my key areas. Now that I am committed, I am only visiting Vanderbilt. I take my official visit on May 29, and that will be the only official visit I take.”