Vanderbilt Football Top 20 Player Rankings: No. 5

Vanderbilt’s Sedrick Alexander points the crowd during a game between Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville , Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Vanderbilt Football Top 20 Player Rankings: No. 5

Originally posted on Vanderbilt Commodores on SI
By Joey Dwyer | Last updated Jul 15, 2026 10:37 AM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt football is in a new era under head coach Clark Lea as it moves forward after a program-best 10-3 season, but does so while replacing star quarterback Diego Pavia and star tight end Eli Stowers.

Lea and company believe that the program can move forward as winners, though, and the amount of experience they bring back is at the forefront of the reasons why.

Lea has the 34th most experienced offense in the country, the No. 4 defense in the country, is No. 2 in game experience in the country and No. 12 in returning starts.

“Just in terms of quality depth, I mean, this is probably the best team we've had,” Lea told Vandy on SI. “Obviously, we have some big gaps to fill, and some of those gaps were our production leaders from a year ago, but I like this team.  I like where we are.”

This Vanderbilt team doesn’t appear to have the elite names at the top of the roster that Lea’s 2025 team did, but he believes he’s got a capable group at every level.

In Vandy on SI’s top 20 players list, all three phases will be represented, as well as every offensive and defensive position group.

No. 5: Sedrick Alexander

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Vanderbilt knows what it has with Alexander, a reliable, modern running back that can do a little bit of everything and has improved every season.

As a result of Vanderbilt’s offense finding more of a downfield passing game, Alexander’s counting stats went down. His yards per carry went up by 1.8 yards, though, and he was a catalyst in Vanderbilt finding its way to a 10-3 season.

Alexander has paid his dues, and it’s only right that he’s one of the faces of the program entering his senior season.

He’s not quite been elite, but he’s been good and is one of the SEC’s better returning backs. He’ll be a real weapon to whichever first-year starting quarterback Vanderbilt picks.

Why No. 5?

Alexander has proven to be reliable enough to be considered one of Vanderbilt’s best players, but he hasn’t found another gear as a player yet.

Picking Alexander over any of the guys listed ahead of him is possible, but hard to do considering their bodies of work.

Alexander deserves a great deal of respect for what he’s done for this Vanderbilt program, though.

This article first appeared on Vanderbilt Commodores on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: