The Vanderbilt Commodores football team will have one of their most coveted transfers from the last cycle back for one more season.
After Zaylin Wood suffered a high ankle sprain in the Vanderbilt Commodores’ third game of the 2024 season, his future became uncertain. However, clarity arrived on Tuesday when he was granted a medical hardship waiver, allowing him to play one more season in 2025—his seventh year of college football.
Wood, a Bowdon, Ga. native, transferred from nearby Middle Tennessee for his final season and quickly established himself as a defensive standout during spring and fall practices, earning a spot in the starting lineup. Unfortunately, his season was cut short after just three games due to his injury. He wrapped up the season with seven tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss.
While sidelined, Wood watched as Vanderbilt enjoyed one of its best seasons in years, highlighted by a major upset against Alabama in Nashville that brought significant attention to the program.
He spent five seasons with the Blue Raiders, culminating in becoming team captain in 2023. In his final season at Middle Tennessee, he recorded 16 tackles, including 4.0 tackles for loss, and contributed with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Wood’s most productive year came in 2022, during which he played all 13 games, starting 11. He tallied 34 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and an interception. His standout performance included two sacks and a fumble recovery in a win against the Miami Hurricanes, along with a touchdown on an interception return.
In 2021, he also appeared in 13 games, starting 12, and registered 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick. He made his mark in the Bahamas Bowl with an interception and three tackles.
Wood began his college career in 2019, redshirting after just four games. He played in nine games during the COVID-affected 2020 season, making his first collegiate start that year.
Throughout his six seasons in college, he has participated in 52 games with 34 starts, accumulating 102 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and two interceptions.
In high school, Wood was a three-star recruit at Heard County High School in Bowdon, earning all-state and all-region honors in his senior year after recording 112 tackles and 36 tackles for loss. He was also named the region’s defensive player of the year.
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