Elite Eight – Vanderbilt Commodores

Commodore football has school-record academic all-district honorees
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt football program followed up a historic performance on the field in 2025 with another record-setting effort in the classroom after eight individuals were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® team on Tuesday.
Included in the group were Charlie Clark, Gabe Fisher, Cade McConnell, Langston Patterson, Nick Rinaldi, Glenn Seabrooks III, Brock Taylor and Linus Zunk. Rinaldi joins Patrick Benoist as the only Commodores to earn CSC Academic All-District® recognition on three occasions, while Patterson and Taylor were named to the team for the second year in a row.
In order to be eligible for Academic All-District® honors, individuals must have a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and achieved at least sophomore standing both academically and athletically while either competing in 90 percent or starting 66 percent of the institution’s games.
Clark, who hails from Madison, Wisconsin, played primarily on the Commodores’ field goal and extra point unit this fall, which contributed 99 of the team’s 500 points. He received his undergraduate degree in classical and Mediterranean studies and political science in May, and has since been working on a master’s degree in finance.
A human & organizational development major, Fisher started six of the Dores’ last seven contests while playing in all 13 games this fall. The fullback/tight from Nashville end not only contributed to the program averaging 175.5 yards per game rushing, he caught passes in a matchup with nationally-ranked Texas and in a win over Kentucky the final month of the regular season.
McConnell—a Choctaw, Oklahoma, native—started all 13 games at quick guard this year, helping the Commodore offense average 38.5 points and 463.1 yards per outing. A human & organizational development major, McConnell earned his highest Pro Football Focus grades of the season in back-to-back contests against No. 10/11 Alabama and No. 10/10 LSU in October.
Patterson finished third on the team with 69 total tackles, with 1½ for loss to go along with three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. The linebacker from Nashville, who is majoring in human & organizational development, posted a season-best 11 stops in a Homecoming victory over Auburn while finishing with at least five tackles in games against Alabama, LSU, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee—all nationally-ranked opponents—in SEC action.
The 2025 SEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Rinaldi was credited with 47 total tackles, seven stops behind the line, 3½ sacks and a pass breakup while leading the Commodores with nine quarterback hurries. Originally from Dover, Massachusetts, the linebacker received his undergraduate degree in the spring in economics and is currently working toward a master’s degree in finance.
A defensive lineman from Nashville, Seabrooks III recorded 19 stops in the fall including an assist behind the line of scrimmage, and he also broke up a pass. The medicine, health & society major was credited with multiple tackles in eight of 13 contests highlighted by a season-best three stops against Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Taylor—a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee—tied the school season record with 99 points this fall after converting 13-of-14 field-goal attempts and 60-of-61 points after touchdown. A human & organizational development major, he was selected the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after making both field goal attempts and all six extra point tries in a victory over Utah State.
Originally from Berlin, Germany, Zunk posted 15 stops, with 3½ of those for loss including three sacks, while adding four additional quarterback pressures in 2025. The defensive lineman majoring in human & organizational development was credited with a pair of sacks in the defeat of Utah State before going on to record a season-high four tackles in a win over No. 15/14 Missouri.
The previous program record of seven Academic All-District® honorees was set last season, making it the third year in a row that Vandy has accomplished the feat after having a then-high five individuals recognized in 2023.
The group helped the Commodores set school standards with 10 total and six SEC victories this fall as Vanderbilt earned a postseason bowl berth in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2012 and ’13 campaigns.
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