When we talked about the quarterback room, well, it hadn’t changed much from 2024, but that’s probably fine because Diego Pavia is back.
When we talk about the running back room… it also hasn’t changed substantially since last season. If you thought it was a problem last season, well, you’re not really in for a treat this season.
That said, Vanderbilt should still have a rushing threat simply because of the presence of Pavia. And it’s possible the problem is the offensive line, I guess, but if you were hoping for a shiny new running back from the transfer portal, Vanderbilt didn’t get it.
The Starter
Sedrick Alexander, junior: At 5’9” and 200 pounds, Alexander is exactly the type of back you’d expect from a guy that size: a human bowling ball. He has a career average of 3.7 yards per carry, 3.6 yards last season, and in 25 career games at Vanderbilt he’s yet to have a 100-yard rushing game; his high was 87 yards against Alabama A&M in his freshman year. The longest run of his career was 31 yards against Missouri last season. In other words: there’s not much explosiveness here. Where I think his value lies is in his ability to avoid losing yards. Vanderbilt’s offense in general lacked explosiveness last season, but they were very good at staying ahead of schedule, and Alexander also provided a receiving threat out of the backfield with 23 catches for 238 yards and a touchdown.
The Backups
AJ Newberry, redshirt sophomore: In his first full season, Newberry played in 11 games and had 41 carries for 185 yards and three touchdowns. There’s a bit more explosiveness here, though just a bit. The hope is for him to be more of a change of pace to complement Alexander, though like Alexander the upside seems a bit limited.
Makhilyn Young, redshirt junior: I’m not sure what happened to Young last season. Supposedly he transferred in from New Mexico State, but didn’t play and his roster page doesn’t even note what was going on. Anyway, he had 32 carries for 201 yards at New Mexico State, so maybe there’s explosiveness here — though he also was playing against mostly CUSA competition.
Chase Gillespie, redshirt junior: It’s a bit of a surprise that he’s still here, though he does own the longest run of anybody in the current room: 37 yards against Hawaii in the 2022 season opener. So there’s that. Somehow, though, his carries have dropped from 27 as a true freshman to 22 in 2023 and 15 last season — and keep in mind, he took a four-game redshirt in 2022. This is a classic instance of getting recruited over, I guess. Anyway, he’s still around and will probably get some spot carries here and there.
The Freshman
Gabe Fields, freshman: The lone freshman in the room is Fields, a three-star recruit from Saint Joseph, Missouri, who had 1295 yards as a high school senior. I wouldn’t expect him to play much right away.
The Fullback
Gabe Fisher, redshirt sophomore: I’m pretty sure Fisher is a walk-on out of Montgomery Bell Academy (Clark Lea’s alma mater), but he’s worth mentioning because he played in all 13 games last season and caught a touchdown pass in overtime against Missouri. To the extent that Vanderbilt uses a fullback, it’s going to be Fisher.