NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt senior student-athlete Cody Markel has been named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service Team, the league announced Wednesday.
The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21-league sponsored sports in looking to highlight a student-athlete from each school who gives back to his community through superior service efforts.
Markel created Turner’s Heroes, a non-profit organization honoring Vanderbilt classmate and tight end Turner Cockrell, who died Nov. 29, 2019, after an extended fight against melanoma. Goals of the organization are to fund discovery grants for pediatric cancer research and bring joy to pediatric patients by hosting superhero parties for the youngsters and their families.
The events focus around capes designed by the patients that are reproduced by Turner’s Heroes.
Limited on the field due to injury in this past season, Markel was named to the SEC’s Academic Honor Roll in 2018 and 2017. He played 12 games as a junior and had a touchdown reception against Tennessee in the 2018 regular-season finale.
Markel, from Middleton, Wisconsin, also played in 10 games in 2017 as a sophomore. He also has been nominated for the William Campbell Trophy, the Allstate AFCA FBS Good Works Team and the Senior CLASS Award.
Other member of the SEC Football Community Service Team include: Chris Owens of Alabama, T.J. Smith of Arkansas, Derrick Brown of Auburn, Tyrie Cleveland of Florida, Jake Fromm of Georgia, Landon Young of Kentucky, Blake Ferguson of LSU, Mac Brown of Ole Miss, Kody Schexnayder of Mississippi State, Daniel Ellinger of Missouri, Spencer Eason-Riddle of South Carolina, Matthew Butler of Tennessee and Braden Mann of Texas A&M.
