NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt’s Nick Rinaldi has been named the SEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year the league office announced on Thursday. He is the first-ever member of the program to earn the honor since its inception in 2003.
The senior linebacker from Dover, Massachusetts, joined the program as a walk on in 2022 but has become a key part of the Commodores’ defensive and special teams units.
He has played in all 12 contests for the Commodores this fall, posting 42 total tackles including seven stops for loss with 3½ sacks. He leads the squad with nine quarterback hurries and has also been credited with a pass broken up.
Rinaldi was named the SEC co-Defensive Player of the Week after recording six tackles—highlighted by 2½ behind the line of scrimmage including a sack—in Vandy’s victory at Virginia Tech, while the following week he was selected the Burlsworth Trophy Walk-On of the Week after posting seven stops with 2½ for loss and a sack in a win at then nationally-ranked South Carolina. He was credited with a season-high eight tackles at No. 20/19 Texas and made six stops including a sack in the Dores’ defeat of No. 18/18 Tennessee to wrap up the regular season.
Off the field, Rinaldi has been voted to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team each of the last two seasons, and he has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll the last two years as well after making the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll as a freshman. He has already received his undergraduate degree in economics and is currently working on a master’s degree in finance.
Rinaldi has contributed to the Commodores posting the school’s first-ever 10-win season as Vandy is currently among the top 15 in the College Football Playoff rankings as well as both the Associated Press and AFCA coaches’ polls.
