Trio of HP Athletes Ready to Anchor Down at Vanderbilt

Longtime friends Heis, Messer, Storer hope to make college experience feel like home

More than 650 miles separate the Park Cities from Nashville, Tennessee, but a trio of Highland Park athletes will feel right at home.

Senior classmates Brennan Storer, Coleson Messer, and Jackson Heis have shared a bond on the football field and the basketball court since middle school. Now all three will be preferred walk-ons at Vanderbilt University.

Storer, a two-year starter at quarterback for the Scots, committed to the Commodores in February. Messer and Heis announced this spring they will join him — Messer in basketball and Heis in football.

“Going to the same school as them really means a lot,” Heis said. “We always hang out on the weekends and have a lot of memories both in sports and outside of sports. Now we can continue making memories.”

Heis was a primary deep threat at receiver for Storer during the past two years, averaging more than 26 yards on his 25 catches in 2022. His six touchdowns tied for second on the team.

He applied and was accepted to Vanderbilt for academics before reaching out to the football coaching staff about walk-on opportunities, and they were receptive.

“It’s very career-focused and academically driven,” he said. In football, the Commodores have struggled in recent seasons competing in the elite Southeastern Conference. They finished 5-7 last year and haven’t posted a winning season since 2013.

“They have a lot of good momentum going,” Heis said. “I’m excited to get started and be a part of it.”

Heis was a two-sport athlete at HP. He also played basketball alongside Messer, who at 6-foot-5 was among the top scorers and rebounders for the Scots during the past two seasons.

Messer attended a basketball camp last summer at Vanderbilt and drew interest from the coaching staff, who continued to follow him during the summer tournament season and beyond. Meanwhile, the Commodores finished 19-17 this season and have improved their winning percentage in four straight years.

“I’m super excited about the opportunity,” said Messer, who also played football with Heis and Storer when he was younger. “It will be nice to have some familiar faces there.”

Although Heis will be playing football exclusively in college, that doesn’t mean his days on the hardwood are completely behind him.

“I’ll definitely still play intramurals,” he said.