Commodores add offensive lineman out of transfer portal

NASHVILLE — South Dakota transfer offensive tackle Bryce Henderson signed with Vanderbilt Wednesday afternoon for his final season of eligibility, according to reports.

BREAKING: South Dakota transfer OT Bryce Henderson has signed with Vanderbilt, @PeteNakos_ reports⚓️https://t.co/twx2zKAZZ8 pic.twitter.com/54sKO8WLjo

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) February 26, 2025

Henderson was a key starter at South Dakota over the past three seasons at both left guard and right tackle positions. He played in all 14 games last season at right tackle and earned second team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors.

The 6-foot-8 offensive lineman paved way for an offensive line that allowed the second fewest tackles at 2.93 per game and less than one sack per game which was No. 9 among FCS programs. South Dakota reached the semifinals of the FCS playoffs but lost to national runner-up Montana State 31-17 on Dec. 21, 2024.

As a recruit, he was lightly sought after out of high school as an unevaluated, unrated prospect out of Aurora Christian in Illinois. He spent the majority of his first two years on campus before coming into his own to start the previous three seasons.

He entered the transfer portal Feb. 20 and became Vanderbilt’s 13th addition out of the portal and is the fourth offensive linemen addition in this cycle. Overall, the Commodores transfer class ranks No. 12 in the SEC, No. 35 nationally, according to 247sports portal rankings.

Vanderbilt has exceptional momentum as a program on the rise under Coach Clark Lea and star quarterback Diego Pavia set to return this fall. The Commodores went 7-6 overall including a victory over Georgia Tech in the 2024 Birmingham Bowl. Lea is hoping to bolster its depth in a unit that allowed less than two sacks per game last season.