Vanderbilt Football Adds Offensive Lineman in Transfer Portal

The Commodores get an intriguing addition to its offensive line on the fourth day of the transfer portal.

Beau Johnson North Dakota State | 247Sports

Vanderbilt’s offensive line is beginning to be repaired through the transfer portal after losing a key piece just a couple of days ago.

Former North Dakota State offensive lineman Beau Johnson announced his commitment to Vanderbilt on X (formerly Twitter) early Monday afternoon. Johnson started every game for North Dakota State this past season as he helped the Bison get to the first round of the FCS Playoffs.

Johnson chose Vanderbilt over Ole Miss, Oregon and Wisconsin per On3’s Steve Wiltfong. Johnson stands at 6-foot-6 and 297 pounds. In 2025, Johnson played 331 pass blocking snaps, allowing no quarterback hits, three sacks and 15 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. His performance this past season made him one of the most desired offensive lineman in the transfer portal.

Johnson’s arrival in Nashville comes at a good time. Three days ago, Vanderbilt offensive lineman Jordan White announced that he was declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft, which left a big hole in the Commodores’ offensive front. With Johnson now being at Vanderbilt, he serves as a notable addition to the offense as Vanderbilt looks to reconstruct the roster in a post-Diego Pavia era. Though not official, Johnson could easily serve as one of Vanderbilt’s starting offensive tackles

Johnson was a FCS All-American this past season as North Dakota State went 12-1. His contributions on the offensive helped North Dakota State rank 12th in total offense and third in scoring offense among FCS teams.

Similar to North Dakota State, Vanderbilt was among one of the most lethal offenses this past season, averaging 39.4 points per game and finishing in the top 10 in the FBS in total offense. Johnson and the rest of the Vanderbilt offensive line will have the opportunity in 2026 to see if it can help repeat those numbers.

Johnson was in the class of 2023, where he was unranked out of high school. Johnson hails from Spring Lake Park, Minnesota and graduated from Spring Lake Park High School. Johnson will be getting to Nashville as a junior with multiple years of college eligibility remaining.

Vanderbilt is coming off its best season in program history, hitting the 10-win mark for the first time in program history and beating three different teams in the AP Top 15. Though the season ended in disappointment with a loss to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl, Vanderbilt had a season to remember.