Vanderbilt Football Sets Record For All-District Honorees: The Anchor
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Vanderbilt football athletes are getting their first post-2025 season recognition this week, with eight different Commodores getting Academic All-District Team Tuesday afternoon.
Vanderbilt’s Charlie Clark, Gabe Fisher, Cade McConnell, Langston Patterson, Nick Rinaldi, Glenn Seabrooks III, Brock Taylor and Linus Zunk all received Academic All-District Honors for their performances in the classroom during the fall semester.
The requirements for this honor are to achieve at least a 3.50 grade point average, be at least a sophomore or older and compete in 90 percent or start in at least 66 percent of the team’s games throughout the season.
Langston Patterson is one of the noteworthy players on the list. Patterson finished third on the team in tackles with 69 along with three quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. The Nashville native posted at least five tackles against five different ranked SEC teams during conference play.
Offensive lineman Cade McConnell was a rock solid piece of the Commodores’ offensive line throughout the season. McConnell started all 13 games this past season and his blocking abilities in the run and passing game helped Vanderbilt’s offense roll through its opponents this season, scoring 38.5 points per game and averaging 463 yards per game. His best performances of the season, according to Pro Football Focus came in Vanderbilt’s game against No. 10 Alabama and No. 10 LSU.
Linebacker Nick Rinaldi was another meaningful contributor on Vanderbilt’s defense. Rinaldi, who won the 2025 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, put up 47 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and nine quarterback hurries.
Eight guys getting the honor broke a program record for the most Academic All-District honorees. The previous program record was seven, which was set last season after Vanderbilt. 7-6 2024 season.
Today's Commodores Schedule
No. 11 Vanderbilt men’s basketball vs. No. 13 Alabama, 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Yesterday’s Commodores Results Today
There were no games scheduled yesterday.
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No. 11 Vanderbilt and No. 13 Alabama are facing off in a showdown Wednesday night in Memorial Gymnasium. It is the first ranked against ranked matchup that has occurred in Memorial since Jan. 5, 1974. On that day, No. 10 Vanderbilt squared off against No. 14 Alabama, where Vanderbilt won off a game-winning layup from Butch Feher in the final five seconds.
Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2026 Baseball Season Opener
37 days
Commodores Quote of The Day
"You guys are running through there like a bunch of Easter bunnies."Red Sanders
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.