Finding the End Zone Again

For Vanderbilt junior running back AJ Newberry, his touchdown against Charleston Southern not only helped his team secure its fourth consecutive season-opening win, it marked the end of a long, strenuous journey that started one day in practice nearly nine months ago.

Preparing for the team’s Nov. 30 meeting against Tennessee last season, the running back made a cut in practice and immediately knew something wasn’t right.

“I went down and I thought at first maybe I had dislocated something. I was on the ground and knew something was wrong,” Newberry recalled. “I could straighten my leg and bend it, so I thought everything was fine. [My teammates] helped me up and I took one step and nearly fell.”

With his sophomore season cut short, Newberry had surgery and began working with Vanderbilt physical therapist and athletic trainer John Cicciaro.

The Road to Nashville

Born and raised in Memphis, Newberry moved to Texas with his mother and siblings in middle school. Growing up, he would split time between his mother and father. Whether he was spending time with his mother’s side or his father’s, after school activities included sports in the yard or manual labor around the house.

“It was like working out, but it wasn’t working out,” Newberry said. “Doing that for so long and then getting back to football, it was simple.”

Newberry had grown up watching college football, but after his mom started a job in Texas, he started to grow closer to realizing his goals of playing in college.

After decommitting from Colorado his senior year of high school, he stayed in touch with Vanderbilt coaches and came on a visit and, as they say, the rest is history.

“I loved it.”

Bowl Eligibility

Before his season-ending injury, Newberry and the Commodores traveled to Auburn on Nov. 2 for an opportunity to clinch a bowl berth for the first time since 2018.

His freshman year, Newberry remembers hanging out with fellow first-years including Bryan Longwell, Martel Hight and Junior Sherrill. They talked about helping get the program back to a bowl game and beyond.

“For us, it was just what we wanted to do. We stuck to it and grinded every day. We knew it was possible,” Newberry said.

Leading into the Auburn game, the Dores had a few plays they’d been running in practice. Newberry had been in quarterback Diego Pavia’s ear all week about finding him on one of the plays no matter who Auburn lined up against him.

“Saturday came and once we lined up I looked in front of me. They moved a linebacker out there and I looked at Diego and he was like, yeah,” Newberry said with a grin.

On third-and-six in the opening quarter of the game, Vandy came out with an empty backfield and five wide, including Newberry on the outside. He beat his man off the line and bolted for the end zone where Pavia found him in stride for a 28-yard touchdown to put the Dores on the board first.

Vandy ended up winning 17-7—the program’s first-ever victory on The Plains—and became bowl eligible.

The Rehab Process

His recovery process was anything but straight forward. Doctors and athletic trainers can provide educated guesses on timetables for injuries, but every situation is unique and provides its own set of setbacks and challenges.

Newberry would end up needing a second operation to clean out some scar tissue in the spring. Instead of suiting up with his teammates, Newberry spent the offseason relearning how to straighten his leg, building strength one careful rep at a time.

“It was tough,” he said. “There were days I wondered if I’d be back in time. But my trainer always reminded me — everybody’s timeline is different. Just stay patient, it’ll happen.”

The End Zone

When Newberry and the Commodores suited up for Charleston Southern and the 2025 opener, it had been nine months since Newberry had last been hit in a football game.

“I told the coaches, I feel good,” Newberry said. “When it comes down to it, I’ll make the plays I need to make. That’s just who I am.”

While some struggle to regain confidence after an injury, especially a leg injury, Newberry said that wasn’t the case for him.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it,” Newberry admitted. “But once I’m in the game, the thinking goes out the window. Whatever’s in front of me, I just get it done.”

Vandy lined up on a first-and-goal play with just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter.

“It was an option play and I was behind Diego so I could see the whole field. I saw how they lined up and knew the left was open. I knew if I saw it, then Diego saw it and he called that play to the left and I’m like, yeah this is a touchdown,” Newberry said.

“He pitched it to me and I looked up. There’s nobody there.”

Nothing but green grass and the end zone.

For Vanderbilt, the touchdown against Charleston Southern extended its lead and helped the Dores to a 45-3 victory.

For Newberry, crossing the goal line mirrored the finish line in his rehab journey. Nine months between touchdowns. Nine months on the sidelines watching your teammates practice. Nine months of wondering if the recovery process would get you back to 100 percent.

Like muscle memory, Newberry returned to the field, and to the end zone.