The biggest contributions don’t always show up in the box score. Sometimes value is written just as much in laughter and leadership as it is in rushing yards.
Impact goes beyond the football field for Vanderbilt running back Sedrick Alexander. Rooted in family values, he carries a sense of responsibility and connection that shapes how he approaches everyone around him.
Growing up in Austin, Texas, football has been a part of Alexander’s life since he was four. Alexander’s father was his first mentor and is still one of the most important people in his life.
“My dad has been my coach, bringing me up, and he just made me love the game of football,” Alexander told The Hustler. “He taught me how to play, and then I just ran with it really.”
By teaching him the fundamentals of football, the elder Alexander gave his son a blueprint for success that he would never relinquish.
“He was the first person to help me with the fundamentals of football,” Alexander said. “The fundamentals of football [are] something you learn early, and if you can’t get them down, then you won’t be successful. I think just learning at a young age made me successful now, and I was able to be ahead of other kids.”
Alexander brought these fundamental skills and his passion for the game to Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) High School in Austin, Texas. Amassing more than 5,000 rushing yards and 68 touchdowns through his four years, it was clear that Alexander’s career wouldn’t be ending after graduation.
Alexander’s head coach Joseph Rauls was instrumental in helping him maintain a stable and disciplined mindset on the field.
“[Rauls kept] me level-headed throughout high school [and] has made me a different man in college,” Alexander said. “I [had] somebody that [was] telling me, ‘You’re not bigger than what the program is.’”
His impact at LBJ was more than just contributions on the field, though. Breaking records and taking his team to the state championship were just little things. His influence on the local community mattered more to him than any individual or team success.
“I’m just recognized a lot at my high school,” Alexander said. “They love me there, and I do it for the community.”
Community and family have always been among the most important values to Alexander. In fact, a significant factor in his commitment to Vanderbilt was the coaching staff’s emphasis on those same values. Head coach Clark Lea, offensive coordinator Tim Beck and running backs coach Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford provide their players with an incredibly strong sense of community.
“This coaching staff is very family-oriented,” Alexander said. “When I come in each and every day, I know I [have] a family and not just a coach. That’s the biggest impact for me.”
Alexander said playing at Vanderbilt was “a win-win” when he was deciding which school he would commit to. A combination of excellent academics and getting to play in the SEC were his top reasons for choosing the Commodores.
Athletes can easily profit off of themselves in the aptly named NIL era of college sports. The 2021 ruling in NCAA v. Alston allowed student-athletes to profit off of their Name, Image and Likeness, which has only added to the chaotic landscape of college football and has widened the gap between well-funded and less-supported programs.
After a promising freshman season, in which he logged 371 rushing yards and punched in 4 touchdowns, Alexander could have left Vanderbilt for a big-name SEC school to increase his earnings. Better yet, during his sophomore season, he totaled over 800 yards from scrimmage and 7 total touchdowns, only adding to the lucrativeness of offers that he might’ve received.
But he didn’t want to leave his family.
“It’s always hard to go switch families, and I feel like this family took me [in] with open arms,” Alexander said. “The last thing I do [would be to] leave my family.”
Alexander tries to be the best person he can be to his family here at Vanderbilt. As important as on-field production can be, he wants to make an impact that goes beyond the field.
“[I try to be a] great, funny person. I like to joke around a lot, and I like to bring a smile out of other people,” Alexander said. “Life’s short. A lot of people are going through different things, and you want everybody to smile. If I feel like somebody’s having a bad day, I want to make sure I make them smile.”
Alexander’s personality lights up the locker room, and his sense of humor is contagious to his teammates. The vibes on West End — for both players and fans — are at an all-time high as the team’s schedule gets increasingly challenging. But that won’t stop Alexander from continuing to try to get better.
“I mean, nobody’s perfect. You always want to improve,” Alexander said. “[I want to] improve in a lot of things. I think the biggest thing for me is just creating more explosive runs for myself.”
The team’s offense has been nothing short of electric through its undefeated start to the season. Vanderbilt will need to maintain that level of explosiveness if it wishes to compete with the best of the best.
The Commodores’ success hasn’t just been due to big plays, though. They’ve found a way to chip away at opposing defenses, primarily through a strong ground attack. The leader of this dominant ground attack has been none other than Alexander, who is having a career year from the backfield.
The junior has matched his touchdown total from last year through just five games, while contributing over 300 yards of offense and averaging a career-high 5.3 yards per carry.
“I can do a lot of things on the field. I think I’m versatile,” Alexander said. “I think the coaches can literally put me anywhere on the offense, and I can thrive. That’s probably one of my biggest things, is being an all-around back and being able to do everything that [you’d] want a running back to do.”
Standing at 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, the running back has put together an impressive compilation of highlights from this season alone, but they span much further than simply designed runs. He excels in pass protection for a player of his size as well.
Alexander has also accumulated a few pass-catching highlights, most notably a ridiculous catch from a Week 1 win against Charleston Southern.
Even with these highlights and limitless self-confidence, Alexander won’t let it get to his head. He enters every game with the same mentality and ambition to prove doubters wrong and exceed the expectations that have been set.
“[We] act like our record says 0-0 and just try to get to 1-0 each and every week,” Alexander said. “[We treat] it like it’s a new season each game.”
With that said, Alexander is thrilled with the team’s performance this season. But when vibes are high and everyone is feeling great, Alexander serves as a voice of reason for his teammates to realize that too much overconfidence can be Vanderbilt’s downfall.
Back at LBJ, Rauls used to keep him even-tempered. Now, he has carried his coach’s teachings with him and is doing the same for the players and coaches around him.
“We just take it week by week. We know that things can go bad with one game. We know that we have to keep being levelheaded,” Alexander said. “If we lose one game, it’s going to bring us down. We know that we have to keep putting our foot on the pedal and keep going.”
He’s bringing this same mentality into a heavily anticipated matchup against No. 10 Alabama. ESPN’s College GameDay crew will be traveling to Tuscaloosa ahead of a rematch of Vanderbilt’s 40-35 upset over the Crimson Tide last year. Both sides are ready to compete — Alabama wants revenge, and Vanderbilt wants to prove itself as one of the best teams in the country.
Alexander believes his team can pull off another upset against a historic powerhouse — this time on the road.
“[I] feel good about my team. I feel like we’re going to go dominate down there in Tuscaloosa,” Alexander said. “I feel like we have the best coaching staff [and the] best players in the country, so I feel like we’re going to do great things.”
Alexander will continue to be a leader for the Commodores as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2:30 p.m. CDT at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
