Bobby Johnson answers questions from the media about his new freshman class on National Signing Day last Wednesday.

Q: Is this class loaded on defense?
A: We lost a lot of defensive linemen and some outstanding linebackers so we felt we really had to be diligent about coming in and replacing those guys. We weren't afraid to take some different people from different places and be able to move them around. We've got some versatile athletes that can play both offense and defense. We feel like we're not only working on defense but for the whole team.

Q: Is this group competitive compared to the others in the SEC?
A: We wanted to make sure these guys fit Vanderbilt with their athletic and academic performance. We feel great about our program; I don't compare them to other people's classes. I don't care who they sign; we only care who we sign for Vanderbilt. We only start comparing them when we're about to take them on in football.

Q: Is player development a big selling point?
A: It's definitely a factor. (Players) want to know if they come to Vanderbilt that they're going to progress and get bigger, faster and stronger, coached by men who can take them to the next level. Jay Cutler is an example of that. Our staff prepared him as well as anyone prepared a quarterback in that class. Chris Williams is another great example of what our weight room and (offensive line coach) Robbie Caldwell can do. He went from a no one in recruiting to possibly a first-round draft pick because we have people here in place who can help. It's important for recruits to know that.

Q: You got a lot of recruits from Florida and Georgia. Was that deliberate?
A: Football is important in those states so we go where the good programs are. Sometimes it's in Georgia and Florida, sometimes in Tennessee, Alabama or South Carolina. It's not that we prefer some states over others; we just go where the good players are.

Q: Position-wise, who could play early?
A: Because we did lose Earl Bennett and Bryant Anderson, we'll give wide receivers a look. John Cole played in an offense that threw the ball to him a ton. He's used to catching passes, and his physical abilities give him a chance to be able to step in and maybe help. You would think that coming from the system that he does and the ability he has to run fast, he'd have a chance.

Q: Do you want to be in the position where you wouldn't have to red shirt?
A: In a perfect world that would be great, but all those things never go exactly to plan. We would have liked to have planned that Earl would have one more year, but those things can't be counted on. We look at red shirting as a way to maximize a player's playing potential. If he's going to be behind a guy that's going to be playing a lot, it wouldn't make sense to put him in a couple times and have that count as an entire year. Each situation is different, each position is different, and so we never have a number in mind about how many we're going to red shirt.

Q: Is DeAndre Jones the next big linebacker?
A: We hope so. He had a great year for (Memphis University School) and makes some outstanding plays. We also think Tristan Strong is going to be a good linebacker, and Dexter Daniels was the state player of the year in Alabama in his classification so any linebacker we sign, we believe can fit into that great tradition we have here for linebackers.

Q: Does Ryan Fowler have a chance to win the kicking job from Bryant Hahnfeldt?
A: They're going to compete; hopefully, there will be a transition. If Bryant kicks as well as we think he will, Ryan will have a chance to red shirt. But if Ryan is the best kicker, he'll be ready to go, and we'll have two quality kickers. Again, it goes back to maximizing his eligibility here. If they're close to equal, we'd like to give Ryan a red shirt year.

Q: No running back?
A: We didn't feel it was a need; aside from Cassen (Jackson-Garrison leaving), we have everyone coming back. We had three guys we red shirted last year, so we really didn't need it. We felt like if we ran across (a player) who was a great fit for us and who was a fantastic player, we'd entertain the thought of signing one, but now I think we can make that a high priority for next year's class. The same is true with a quarterback. With all the guys coming back plus Larry Smith coming off his red shirt year with a chance to compete for the job, we didn't feel the need for a quarterback.

Q: Do the impending improvements to the stadium help recruiting?
A: It makes a huge difference in recruiting. It shows a commitment from our administration, sending the message that we'll improve our program in any way we can. Its also fun - it's fun for those guys to look at the plans and see how the locker rooms are going to improve, what a players' lounge would look like, what our new field will look like. It's not only something they're anticipating to enjoy, but it's also exciting to be a part of it.