High School

Texas four-star quarterback Luke Babin on his commitment to Vanderbilt: "I love Nashville"

From the White House to FirstBank Stadium; 2025 has been a crazy year for the 2027 dual threat

Levi Payton

Woodville junior quarterback Luke Babin has committed to Vanderbilt.
Woodville junior quarterback Luke Babin has committed to Vanderbilt. / Tommy Hays

Luke Babin has had a crazy year.

A few months ago, he was standing in a secret stairwell with his brother at the White House with a U.S. Representative, a model, an actor, a Texas district attorney and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson staring down at them.

On Wednesday, the four-star Woodville junior quarterback became the first member of the 2027 recruiting class to commit to Vanderbilt. Two days later, he followed that news with the best game of his high school career when he threw for a career-high 365 yards and eight touchdowns in Woodville’s 68-35 win over Trinity.

He completed 22 of 31 passes without an interception and added 48 rushing yards on seven carries. The victory improved Woodville to 4-1 and spoiled Trinity’s unbeaten mark.

Lucas Babin poses for a photo at the White House with Speaker Mike Johnson, Congressman Brian Babin and Lucas Babin
Pictured from the left: Philip Babin, Congressman Brian Babin, Speaker Mike Johnson, Luke Babin and model, actor and current Texas District Attorney Lucas Babin pose for a photo during a recent visit to the White House in Washington D.C. / Photo courtesy of Luke Babin

For Babin, a 6-foot-3, 196-pound dual threat who also runs track, the decision to choose Vanderbilt and test himself in the SEC was about more than football, and his visit to Nashville gave him the confirmation he needed to choose the Commodores over Baylor, Houston, TCU and Texas Tech.

“They were one of the schools that traveled to Woodville to visit with me, and I appreciate the ones who took time to come to my high school,” Babin said of Vanderbilt. “When I visited campus I loved the coaches, the players, and the school.

“Coach [Clark] Lea has developed a great atmosphere of high standards, discipline and teamwork,” he added. “It just felt like the kind of program I want to be a part of.”

Babin said he was struck by the way the Commodores carried themselves.

“Every player in the weight room introduced themselves to me,” Babin said. “Basically, everybody just seemed squared away and ready to win.”

Through five games, Babin has completed 77 of 116 passes for 1,280 yards with 19 touchdowns and no interceptions with a completion rate at 66.4 percent. On the ground, he has shown off his legs, rushing 31 times for 325 yards – averaging 10.5 yards per carry – and scored four touchdowns.

He broke free for 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns in Week 4.

The leap from his sophomore season has been obvious. Last year he completed 137 of 245 passes for 2,106 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also ran 54 times for 350 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry, and scored five times.

It was a strong sophomore campaign, but he’s well on his way to surpassing those marks in 2025.

Babin credits the strides in his game to offseason work with Houston-area quarterbacks coach J.P. Tillman of Five-Star General QB Academy, who helped sharpen his mechanics and decision-making.

Of course, his family background has drawn its own attention. His grandfather, Rep. Brian Babin, arranged the White House visit with Babin’s father and brother earlier this year, and Speaker Johnson, a friend of the family, punctuated it.

His father, Lucas Babin, a former model and actor, played Spider in the movie School of Rock before transitioning into a career as a Texas district attorney.

That combination of family connections and on-field growth has made Babin one of the most intriguing quarterbacks in Texas, on and off the field. For Vanderbilt, securing him early gives the Commodores both a leader and a potential centerpiece for their 2027 recruiting class.

“I love the other schools that offered me and have a good relationship with those coaches,” Babin said. “I really appreciate all of them. Ultimately it was a combination of things that made it an easy decision for me.

“Also, the academics are great, and I love Nashville,” he added.

For now, Babin’s attention can be focused squarely on Woodville’s success. But after committing on Thursday and producing a record night on Friday, he has already given Vanderbilt fans a preview of what lies ahead.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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