NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two Vanderbilt football running backs have been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list with the announcement Tuesday that both Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young are candidates for the honor this fall.
It marks the second straight season that Alexander—who hails from Austin—is on the watch list for the award recognizing the top offensive player in NCAA Division I football who also exhibits the characteristics former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL running back Earl Campbell displays: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity. Candidates for the honor must also either have played and graduated from a Texas high school or play at an NCAA Division I four-year institution.
He enters 2026 coming off a campaign that saw him rush for 567 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns while adding 19 receptions for another 200 yards and four scores as he paced the Commodores with 15 total touchdowns. Alexander was named the SEC co-Offensive Player of the Week and to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Honorable Mention List after posting career highs with 115 yards and three rushing touchdowns in Vandy’s victory at No. 18/18 Tennessee in the regular season finale. He also gained 76 yards with a score on just four carries at No. 10/11 Alabama and ran for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a win at Virginia Tech on the way to earning third-team All-SEC recognition from PFSN a year ago.
Young recorded 46 carries for 414 yards and six touchdowns to rank third on the team in rushing his first season as a Dore, with his average of 9.0 yards per attempt best on the squad among student-athletes with 10 or more rushes. The native of Midland—who also contributed 14 receptions for 133 yards out of the backfield—led Vandy with 95 yards and a score on just eight attempts in its victory at Virginia Tech, while he had an 80-yard touchdown run to give the Commodores a third-quarter lead in their win over No. 15/14 Missouri. The senior posted 85 yards on only six carries in a defeat of No. 10/10 LSU, including a 43-yard run in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory, and he carried twice for 64 yards and a score in the program’s Georgia State win as well.
Vanderbilt will open the 2026 campaign with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Austin Peay at FirstBank Stadium on Sept. 5. It’s the first of three straight home contests for the Commodores before the start of SEC play.