Yesterday was a day that Justin Skule will never forget. Yesterday was the day that the Class of 2015 offensive tackle from Clifton, Virginia took the next step in his career, both academically and athletically.

Justin Skule committed to playing football at Vanderbilt University and will begin attending in the fall of 2015.

The lineman had his list of schools down to two as recently as this past Sunday, when he said in a text to Left Bench reporter Michael Stern that he was still deciding between Virginia and Vanderbilt.

That decision changed overnight. On a phone call with Skule yesterday afternoon, he talked about his excitement for being the next Vanderbilt Commodore.

“I just felt like it was the best fit for me, with the high level of academics, playing in the SEC, and the elite level of football. The coaching staff was awesome when I was there, and I really like the campus and facilities,” Skule said.

Skule is Vanderbilt’s sixth commit in the Class of 2015, and second offensive tackle.

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The 6-6, 280 pound lineman believes that since the coaching staff is new, they should be at Vanderbilt for years to come. This coaching staff has Skule excited about the future.

He had the opportunity to talk to a few students on his visit to Vanderbilt, and they helped convince him.

According to Skule, linebacker Kyle Woestmann said he loved playing football in the SEC. Woestmann also told Skule he enjoyed living right outside of Nashville, Tennessee, a fact that Skule is also excited about.

Skule also spoke to Oren Burks who was down to the same two schools, Virginia and Vanderbilt, before making what Burks described as the best decision of his life: choosing Vanderbilt.

It isn’t all about athletics for Skule. He looks forward to attending Vanderbilt because of the prestigious education they provide at the university. In fact, when Skule was told about the plans to redshirt him his freshman year, he was actually looking forward to it because of the opportunity it provided.

“I actually am really excited about [being redshirted] because they do have a five year masters program where you can get your MBA in five years, so if I were to redshirt I could get my MBA while playing football there,” Skule said.

One of the main reasons Skule chose Vanderbilt was for the small class sizes and the MBA program.

As Skule prepares for his senior campaign at Centreville High School, he has a few goals in mind for his time in college.

“I hope to get playing time as early as possible, and eventually I hope to win an SEC championship. I also am looking forward to getting my MBA,” Skule said.

For now, Skule will continue playing the sport he started playing when he was 12 years old with the Steelers, however now he knows he has at least four more years of football ahead of him.

-Michael Stern

@MSternUMD