Vanderbilt football commit Glenn Seabrooks III latest in three-generation college prospects

Three generations of family football hasn't been lost on Davidson Academy's Glenn Seabrooks III, nor has the rocket ship of recruiting that quickly escalated in the past six months and culminated with Seabrooks' commitment to Vanderbilt April 4.

Seabrooks, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound two-sport athlete for the Bears is a three-star defensive lineman who held offers from Arkansas State, Memphis, Miami (Ohio), Purdue, Tulane, UAB as well as FCS programs.

Six months ago, Seabrooks wasn't sure SEC football would ever be in his future. He didn't think of himself as a potential Dandy Dozen member for the Class of 2024. But Seabrooks enters his senior season as No. 12 on The Tennessean's 2023 Dandy Dozen list, a collection of the top college football prospects in the Nashville area as selected by the newspaper.

2023 DANDY DOZEN: No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 | No. 8 | No. 9 | No. 10 | No. 11 | No. 12

"I'm carrying a name behind me that demands respect and I've tried to live that way, and play football that way," Seabrooks said. "Especially football."

Seabrooks father played football at McGavock. His grandfather played high school football in Daytona Beach, Florida and college football at Tennessee State. Both are overjoyed with the idea that Seabrooks III will continue his athletic career in the SEC.

"When we first put him in Davidson Academy, the structure they had prepared him for college," said his dad, Glenn Seabrooks Jr. "Glenn took over and flourished from there. But we always stressed that education comes first. That's most important, because you never know what the future holds."

Glenn Jr. was rated as one of the top defensive tackles in the state when he played at McGavock from 1988-91, but he never pursued college football like Glenn Seabrooks Sr.

The eldest Seabrooks arrived in Nashville in 1966 and played college football for John Merritt and Joe Gilliam Sr. at TSU. Gilliam's son, Joe Gilliam Jr., a Pearl High graduate, was the quarterback for the Tigers during his time on campus before Gilliam was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1972. He also played with Ed "Too Tall" Jones who went on to play 15 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

An old knee injury suffered as a high school football player in Daytona Beach kept Seabrooks Sr. from possibly playing professional football and he eventually got into teaching and coaching in Metro Nashville. He joined Maurice Fitzgerald's staff at Pearl-Cohn in 1989, helping the Firebirds to consecutive state championships in 1996 and 1997 before retiring in 2009.

"When coach Fitzgerald got offered the head job at Pearl he asked me to come with him to coach the offensive and defensive line," Seabrooks Sr. said. "We had some really good teams at Pearl and coach Fitzgerald was a great coach. I just tried to help in whatever way I could."

Having grown up with stories about Jefferson Street Joe, Seabrooks Jr. thought he was destined to play college football. He had offers from schools like Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati and Tulane. But a car accident just after his high school graduation resulted in a broken hip that ended his playing days.

He passed that college football tradition down to Seabrooks III.

"There was no doubt I was going to play football," the younger Seabrooks said. "But my parents didn't have to convince me to play. I wanted to play since I was small. But there's definitely a drive to want to get better."

Yet Seabrooks III didn't think he was big enough for SEC schools. While some showed interest, it was Vanderbilt that took the most interest. Seabrooks, who also plays offensive tackle at Davidson Academy, was recruited to play defensive tackle for the Commodores. He had 53 total tackles with 13 for loss as a junior competing in the Division II-AA Middle Region.

"I was really kind of surprised when they offered," he said. "I know my family was really proud. That was a big moment because I really didn't have any other ideas of what I wanted to do. I had no clue what I wanted to study."

If anything, Seabrooks' family knows that the education he'll receive at Vanderbilt will put him on a path for success after football.

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And Seabrooks III understands what the name on the back of his jersey means.

"I know some people might think it's a 'me' thing," Seabrooks III said. "It's not. I carry my dad, my granddad, my whole family on the back of that jersey. I'm going to make sure that name carries respect."

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com and on Twitter @Cville_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football: Glenn Seabrooks makes 2023 Dandy Dozen list