Vanderbilt was top 25 S&P. They had an efficient offense and it was pretty decent for the competition they faced. Productive QB, one of the top TEs in the nation, and a RB who started to blow up and averaged almost 8 ypc in the SEC.
Of course it's a positive hire. It's nothing special, but it's consistent and a better fit for Whitt's controlling mindset and better than previous hires. It doesn't have to be an absolute splash for it to be a positive hire.