The Bruins junior running back committed during an unofficial visit on Sunday
Watch Lamont Atkins help lead Lake Braddock to victory over cross-town rival Robinson from the regular season. (Video by Josh Apple for Synthesis/Koubaroulis LLC / The Washington Post)
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November 23, 2015, 5:00 p.m. — While his team is rolling through the playoffs, Lamont Atkins took a detour from the Lake Braddock season to hash out his future as a football player.
The Bruins (11-1) junior all-purpose back committed to Vanderbilt University over the weekend while in Nashville on an unofficial recruiting visit. He attended the Commodores game against Texas A&M on Saturday, and stayed in town for a campus tour on Sunday.
After the tour, he had a long chat with running backs coach Charles Bankins and Head coach Derek Mason, and committed on the spot.
“Vanderbilt is the place for me, and there was no need in dragging it out,” Atkins said.
Atkins, who had also received offers from Kent State, Navy and Toledo, immediately took to Twitter to break the news.
Dreams Do Come True! I have committed to Vanderbilt University to further my education & football career ⚓️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tamqGnjKge
— ✨Lamont Atkins✨ (@atkins2017) November 23, 2015
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound prospect has racked up 1,144 rushing yards this season in Burke, Va., coming off a 100-yard playoff performance last week. He doesn’t necessarily get the number of touches as other top backs in the region due to the balanced Bruin attack, but he makes his touches count. He is also a major contributor on defense for the Bruins.
According to Atkins, he was looking for three things in a university, and the Commodores checked off his desires in every phase.
“From an academic standpoint, they’re ranked the No. 15 university in America,” Atkins said. “From a competition standpoint, I get to compete in the best conference in college football. Also, I really like the atmosphere that Coach Mason has built.”
Mason took the reigns in Nashville in 2014, trying to spark a team competing in the always-difficult SEC. The Commodores are 4-7 on the season, with solid conference wins over Kentucky and Missouri.
The idea to commit to the Commodores actually hit Atkins prior to his trip over the weekend.
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“I actually called Coach Bankins to commit the weekend before my visit,” Atkins said, “and he told me he wanted me to wait until I had a chance to visit the following week and really understand what Vanderbilt was all about, and what I was committing to.”
That sense of integrity was attractive to Atkins and his family, who accompanied him on the recruiting journey, and Atkins is excited to continue working with Bankins going forward.
“I look forward to contributing to the offense in anyway they need,” Atkins said. “Coach Bankins is a great running backs coach and I look forward to learning from him.”
For Bruins senior quarterback Kyle Edwards, Atkins commitment was no surprise.
“He’s very enthusiastic about Vanderbilt’s football program,” Edwards said, “and when he got the offer I knew he was excited. I had a feeling he might be committing after his visit this weekend.”
Meanwhile, the fifth-ranked Bruins have knocked off W.T. Woodson and Battlefield so far in the playoffs, setting up a high-profile matchup with seventh-ranked Westfield on Saturday. Both teams enter the game with just one loss on the season, as both squads fell to South County in the regular season.
Edwards expects big things from Atkins against the Bulldogs and potentially beyond.
“He’s involved in almost every snap on the field,” Edwards said, “and when he’s playing his best, the outcome usually reflects that. His play is crucial for us going forward.”
Like Edwards, senior receiver David Fofi also believes Atkins’ play will be a difference-maker against a tough Bulldog team.
“To win late in the playoffs you need to have a good run game,” Fofi said, “and he’s been playing great for us all season.”
Atkins understands he has a lot of work do to the remainder of this season and throughout his senior year in terms of preparing for the college game. He says his focuses will be on improving his speed, footwork and flexibility.
Yet, he already has many intangibles that he will bring to Nashville.
“I can run between the tackles, get outside, pass block and catch the ball,” Atkins said.
Now that the recruiting process is out of the way, Atkins can stay in town on weekends and focus on the goal of bringing a state title to Burke.
“Honestly, I never enjoyed the recruiting process,” Atkins said. “We went on several unofficial visits on Saturdays when I would rather stay at home recovering from my games and go to my little brother’s youth football games.”
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