'Enthusiasm Runs the World,' How Khordae Sydnor Carries Smile With Him Wherever He Goes

If there’s any bracelet that speaks to Sydnor’s guiding principles, it appears to be that red and white band that now consistently sits on his right wrist as he goes through his day-to-day life and works to fulfill his NFL dreams after getting a taste of them as the NFL’s Kid Reporter at the 2014 Super Bowl. 

Sydnor has been through his share of ups and downs as a college football player and won’t be given anything as he aims to hear his name called in the spring draft, yet every time he’s in a room it appears as if he’s the first one to show his teeth. It’s almost noticeable enough to wonder if it’s intentional, like ‘is this guy really this happy?’ 

In a world where those like Sydnor often prove to be too good to be true, it appears as if he is. 

“He’s always smiling,” Vanderbilt tight end Cole Spence said, “Just trying to make people’s days better. He’s a really, really great dude for sure.”

Sydnor was told he wasn’t in the plans at Purdue after a sophomore season in which he saw his role shrink significantly relative to the one he had as a freshman, he’s been through personal struggles, yet there he was smiling anytime someone saw him in those periods. The Vanderbilt defensive end had an ankle injury in 2024 that bothered him mentally and physically more than anybody knew. Nobody could tell based off of his smile, though. 

As a father, Tracey Sydnor says he gets to see “the other side” of Sydnor as he struggles in those moments, but he always encouraged him to pour what he could into those who may not have had the strength that he did. 

“One of the things that I taught my kids is ‘people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,’” Sydnor’s father told Vandy on SI. “Sometimes you can’t wear your struggle on your face, even if you’re going through tough things. That smile will do something for someone else.” 

The Vanderbilt defensive end’s parents never told him and his two brothers that there wouldn’t be hardship in his life. They generally told him the opposite as he was raised to embrace the grit and toughness that was required to thrive in Harlem, where he was raised. 

Oftentimes an emphasis on toughness can forsake the qualities that have gotten Sydnor through his hardest days, though. Talking with Sydnor’s parents is parallel to talking with two uplifters that appear to be incapable of speaking poorly about someone else. They have an underlying toughness, but their sons were always going to be hopeful. They never had a chance to become jaded souls that lug along day by day. 

“I’ve raised my three sons to always just be happy no matter what you have or what you don’t have,” Sydnor’s mom Rolanda Carter-Sydnor said. “I also raised them to treat people the way you want to be treated. So, whatever situation they’re in–they could be having a bad day, or whatever–but they show up in a positive way and they show up with happiness all the time.” 

Sydnor knows that wearing a bracelet like he does each day adds a level of accountability. Perhaps he doesn’t have to have his mother’s words directly in mind, but he’s got to bring it. He’s got to be upbeat regardless of his circumstance. 

No frowning. No moping. No acting as if his life isn’t one that he would have envied years ago as a kid. No acting as if he doesn’t have faith that encourages him to keep going each day. 

Sydnor’s mother has prayed for her three sons and has attempted to “cover them with the blood of Jesus” ever since they were kids, but she always knew that she couldn’t force him to have a relationship of his own with God. 

Sydnor appears to have taken ownership of that relationship, though. Each time the Vanderbilt defensive end looks at his right wrist, he’s reminded that “no matter how tough it gets, when you think you’re out, that you can’t go no more, Christ gives you all the strength.” 

“That resonates with me a lot,” Sydnor said. “It’s just leaving everything in God’s hands, man. He’ll never forsake you if you’re a true believer and you follow him, no matter how tough it gets.” 

Across from Sydnor’s "enthusiasm runs the world” band sits a black bracelet with Jeremiah 29:11 engraved in it in white print. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Sydnor says he received the bracelet some time ago from a friend and allows it to center him as he puts his hand in the ground to take practice and game reps at defensive end. The Vanderbilt defensive end’s mom says that he used to wear enough bracelets to mirror the image of a mini sleeve, but that he’s cut down on the number of them. 

The idea that Sydnor would use one of his few slots on a verse and references it often is perhaps more fulfilling to her than anything he’s done on the field since his arrival at Vanderbilt. 

“It brings joy to my heart as a parent to know that what we instilled in them, they’re putting it into action,” Carter-Sydnor said. “He’s really gotten into studying the word now and he shares verses with me and we talk about different things all the time on the phone. It’s really refreshing to know that he has a personal relationship with God.” 

Perhaps the trouble won’t stop for Sydnor as he continues to push himself and his football career as far as they can go, but he says he’s leaning on Christ to provide his strength when he doesn’t have it. 

As a result, he’s going to keep smiling regardless of his circumstances. 

“He’s always been the kind of person who rises from adversity,” Sydnor’s father said. “He always found a way to grow where he was planting.”