Exclusive: Vanderbilt Football is Confident in its Running Back Depth and the Advantage it Gets From It

Vandy On SI talked to running backs coach Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford on the depth of Vanderbilt’s running back room.

Nov 29, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores running back Makhilyn Young (22) runs against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half against at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vanderbilt football runs a balanced offense between passing and running plays. Last season, it threw the ball 401 times and ran the ball 406 times. Of those 406 attempts, the leading running back on the roster, Sedrick Alexander, only had 105 carries in 2025.

That is indicative of one thing in an offense’s ability to run the ball: there are a variety of threats that can run the football. That can include quarterbacks and a couple wide receivers that get chances to run the ball from time to time, but it also shows the versatility Vanderbilt has in its running back room.

Going into 2026, the amount of options Vanderbilt has in its backfield is one of the most important consistencies the roster has going back to last year's team. Alexander is still in Nashville and so are running backs MK Young, Jamezell Lassiter and Gabe Fields. But the Commodores also have freshman running backs Evan Hampton and Izayah Lee this season. Vanderbilt running backs coach Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford believes his position room will serve as a luxury for the program this fall.

“Yeah, you better have a couple of them that can play. Obviously, the strength of schedule week in and week out, the teams that we play, it's inevitable for guys to get a little banged up,” Muhammad-Lankford told Vandy On SI on what it is like having the running back depth in a tough, physical SEC. “However, having guys that can either spell them in practice, and kind of eliminate a handful of reps off of them, or guys that you trust that can go into a game and that production doesn't drop off – kind of the one, two punch with Sedrick and MK – so it definitely helps.”

The experience that the room has with Alexander and Young is what helps the room flourish. The duo not only leads the position room on the field, but they also do it in practice and off the field as well. Muhammad-Lankford believes the two set the standard for the younger running backs in the room.

Where the depth of a running back room shows the most, though, is in late-game situations, especially during conference games. While some running backs may get worn down by the fourth quarter, the constant substitution of multiple different running backs that Vanderbilt uses each week helps allow them to be fresh in critical moments.

A perfect example of this goes back to October 2025 in Vanderbilt’s win over Missouri. In the final minutes of the third quarter, MK Young got loose for an 80-yard touchdown in what was a dog fight of a game. That run was just one of four touches he had in the game.

Muhammad-Lankford feels the freshness his running backs have late in games plays a big advantage for the Commodores. But what also helps is that each running back possesses a unique skill that builds the versatility of the running back depth.

“Yeah, it plays a big part of it. One of the things that I personally love is that each one of their skill sets are different from one another, and so each of those guys have a strength that they bring different to the table. You want guys that can do multiple things, so Sedrick and MK kind of lead the way being the all-around players they are, but it helps out a lot having those younger guys, having those situational players that you can insert at any time as well,” Muhammad Lankford said.

From a player’s perspective, where the depth of the running back room comes into play is the impact they have on each other. With various different skillsets present among guys in the position room, it allows each of the guys to come together and teach each other skills.

Through that, it results in a backfield that can strike opposing defenses in a number of ways.

“I think the biggest thing is just learning from each other. I think a lot of us have different strengths, and when you can learn something from everybody else and then put it all together, it can be dangerous,” Alexander told Vandy On SI.

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