For only the second time in his Vanderbilt coaching career, Bobby Johnson has dipped into the junior college ranks.

And because it’s such a rare move for the Commodores to recruit junior college players, they committed an NCAA violation in the process.

Quarterback Jordan Rodgers, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, signed with the Commodores on Monday and plans to enroll in January. The problem came when he took his official visit to Vanderbilt from Dec. 13 to Dec. 15, which spilled over into the NCAA’s dead period from Dec. 14 to Dec. 17 for junior college players seeking midterm enrollment.

“Honestly, we didn’t even think about it because we never recruit junior college players,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Jordan was at Western Kentucky (visiting) and came to our place on Sunday and stayed until Tuesday morning. We’d just never signed anybody during the junior college signing period and didn’t think about it being a dead period.

“There was nothing sinister about it, and it certainly wasn’t planned. It’s just something that happened.”

Johnson said Vanderbilt’s compliance people were on top of the snafu immediately, and the Commodores reported the matter to the SEC as a secondary violation.

For the time being, Rodgers has been declared ineligible, but Johnson anticipates the whole thing being cleared up sooner rather than later.

Rodgers passed for more than 2,200 yards this season at Butte (Calif.) College. Aaron Rodgers also attended Butte before transferring to California.

Johnson said he hasn’t lost faith in Larry Smith, who was the Commodores’ starting quarterback this season as a sophomore. Smith missed the last three games with a torn hamstring and finished with four touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

By adding Rodgers, Johnson said the Commodores will have better competition at the quarterback position this spring. And with Mackenzi Adams graduating, it also gives them some insurance.

“He’s got experience. That’s the big thing,” Johnson said. “It’s always wise to have experience at that position. But we’re going to bring Jordan in and let him compete for the starting job.”

Rodgers has two years of eligibility remaining. He didn’t go to junior college because of academic issues. Rather, he was looking to get a little bigger and stronger.