Vanderbilt Misses out on 3-Star S Bryson Williams

The Omaha, Nebraska native was in Nashville for an official visit on June 6.

2026 Vanderbilt safety target Bryson Williams | Credit @bwilliams_2828 on X

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.

Upcoming Official Visitors

June 20

• 3-Star EDGE Garrett Witherington

Check out the Vanderbilt football official visitor tracker for the full list of summertime visitors.

2026 Commitments

1. ATH Daniel Vollmer, 6-foot-2, 210 lbs. - Cincinnati, Ohio (Committed 02/05/2025)
2. QB Michael Mitchell, Jr., 5-foot-11, 185 lbs. - San Francisco, California (Committed 09/21/2024)
3. EDGE Joey Quinn, 6-foot-5, 260 lbs. - Chicago, Illinois (Committed 03/26/2025)
4. S Karaijus Haynes, 5-foot-11, 170 lbs. - Sarasota, Florida (Committed 04/14/2025)
5. IOL George Haseotes, 6-foot-3, 295 lbs. - Naples, Florida (Committed 04/28/2025)
6. WR Kahden Smith, 6-foot-2, 185 lbs. - Tuscaloosa, Alabama (Committed 05/08/2025)
7. DL Daryl Campbell, 6-foot-2, 300 lbs. - Katy, Texas (Committed 05/10/2025)
8. RB Izayah Lee, 5-foot-11, 190 lbs. - Lancaster, Texas (Committed 06/07/2025)
9. WR Chris Tangelo, 6-foot-4, 195 lbs. - Potomac, Maryland (Committed 06/08/2025)
10. TE Adam Gehm, 6-foot-6, 235 lbs. - Harmony, Pennsylvania (Committed 06/09/2025)
11. CB Collin Flanigan, 6-foot-2, 170 lbs. - Oxford, Mississippi (Committed 06/10/2025)
12. EDGE Jace McCallum, 6-foot-4, 220 lbs. - Harrisburg, North Carolina (Committed 06/11/2025)
13. WR Keeyshawn Tabuteau, 5-foot-11, 165 lbs. - Chattanooga, Tennessee (Committed 06/17/2025)

Check out the Vanderbilt football recruiting tracker to stay up to date with the 2026 recruiting class and beyond.