Vanderbilt Football 2026 Depth Chart Projection: Running Back – Sports Illustrated

In this story:
Vandy on SI’s projected depth chart: 
Starters: Sedrick Alexander, MK Young
Rotational backs: Jamezell Lassiter 
Others to watch: Evan Hampton, Gabe Fields, Izayah Lee
Room storyline:
Vanderbilt has three proven players here that head coach Clark Lea will handle conservatively throughout the fall, but that’s where this gets interesting.
Alexander will start on opening day and hopes to be one of the SEC’s best backs. Young will split carries with him and look to take on a larger workload. Lassiter will be the gadget guy that offensive coordinator Tim Beck turns to when he wants to take a swing.
Perhaps the more interesting storyline here comes in the form of Hampton, Fields and Lee.
Vanderbilt has recruited the running back position well in recent memory and has high hopes for all three underclassman backs, but it’s yet to see any of them truly break out in camp. 
As a result of the stability at the top of its roster, Vanderbilt will likely give a large amount of its camp carries to underclassmen. 
It’s a golden opportunity for Hampton—a highly-touted recruit—Fields—an ultra-productive high schooler with real speed—and Lee—a freshman back with real physical gifts—to prove themselves. Perhaps there could be some carries out there as a result of AJ Newberry’s departure from the program.
Three players to watch 
Sedrick Alexander 
Alexander likely wouldn’t have been taken in the NFL Draft had he gone, but he didn’t think about it for a second. He says he had unfinished business at Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt knows it has at least a league-average back in Alexander after the step forward he took in 2025, but he still hasn’t proven to be elite. He's ready to prove that he is, though.
“My goal is to be one of the top running backs in the country,” Alexander said, “And definitely be a Heisman candidate.”
Alexander likely won’t show much of anything during fall camp out of precaution, but he’s got an important year ahead of him. 
MK Young
Young took advantage of his opportunity after a year away from football and proved to be a legitimate SEC running back. 
He was Vanderbilt’s second back, but he averaged 9.0 yards per carry and ripped off a number of big runs. 
“I’m so proud of him,” Lea said during the season. “To see him have these moments and with the year he was out and him having to do the dirty work to get himself back, what a great story. It couldn’t happen to a better person.” 
Young is a versatile modern back that can be a safety net for Vanderbilt’s first-time starting quarterback and can complement Vanderbilt back Alexander again. 
The question is whether he’s got room to truly break out as an every-down guy. 
Evan Hampton 
Hampton put up video-game esque numbers as a high schooler, and is perhaps the most talented back in the room. 
He may have to wait his turn, though. 
“I think my ability to see the field and understand defenses is a major factor to my success,” Hampton told Vandy on SI while he was a recruit, “And I'm looking to add more moves into my inventory and continue to get stronger and faster."
Hampton is clearly a talented pass catcher, fast and has some level of physicality to his game. If he plays, Vanderbilt clearly has some opportunity for explosive plays. And it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that he does get on the field.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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