Derek Mason Just Lost His Only Recruit for 2017

First Kevin Stallings. Now, Lamont Atkins.

Vanderbilt football lost its first -- and so far, only -- player in the 2017 recruiting class on Monday night when Atkins announced he was no longer committed to the university.

I've decided to reopen my recruitment. This is a huge decision and I need to be 100% sure. pic.twitter.com/RaJ1h350cb

— Lamont Atkins (@atkins2017) March 29, 2016

Atkins is a 5'11, 190-pound tailback who also has the potential to fill a couple different roles in the defensive backfield. His strong academic performance makes his list of scholarship offers look like the U.S. News top college rankings. He's currently being wooed by Vandy, Northwestern, Virginia, Yale, and Navy, among others.

Atkins would have joined a Commodore backfield that could return six runners in 2017. Vanderbilt will be led by Ralph Webb returning for his senior year, assuming he doesn't jump to the NFL. Behind him, Dallas Rivers, Josh Crawford, Khari Blasingame, Jaire George, and Jamauri Wakefield will all be competing for snaps. While that seems like an uphill battle, Derek Mason hasn't really had a back stand out behind Webb the past two seasons. It stands to reason the starting job could be up for grabs in 2018 and beyond.