VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY — LB
3.97 GPA — Economics
Head Coach: Clark Lea | Athletics Director: Candice Storey Lee
Faculty Athletics Representative: Tracey George
After taking up football as a high school senior, Nick Rinaldi walked on at Vanderbilt and emerged as a leader of the Commodores' defense. The Dover, Massachusetts, native becomes Vanderbilt's sixth NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining his teammate Eli Stowers who won the Campbell Trophy® last year.
Rinaldi graduated magna cum laude in May 2025 with a degree in economics and a 3.97 GPA before earning a master's degree in finance in May 2026. Named the 2025 SEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, he became the first Vanderbilt football player to receive the honor. A three-time CSC Academic All-District selection, he earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition twice, made the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll in 2022 and was named to the 2026 NFF Hampshire Honor Society.
A three-year letterman and 2026 team captain, Rinaldi entered the season with 123 career tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, along with an interception and two fumble recoveries. He recorded 47 tackles and a team-leading nine quarterback hurries in 2025. Through Vanderbilt's first seven games in 2026, he ranks third on the team with 42 tackles, second with 5.5 tackles for loss and first with 3.5 sacks.
Rinaldi helped Vanderbilt establish school records with 10 overall victories and six SEC wins in 2025, including its first undefeated home season since 1982. The Commodores appeared in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time and climbed to No. 9 in the AP poll, their highest ranking since 1937. In 2024, Vanderbilt recorded its first winning season since 2013, highlighted by the program's first victory over a No. 1-ranked opponent, Alabama. The Commodores also earned consecutive bowl berths, winning the 2024 Birmingham Bowl and appearing in the 2025 ReliaQuest Bowl.
In the community, Rinaldi has partnered with Special Olympics Tennessee to host an athlete at practice before each Vanderbilt home game, accompany the athlete during the team's Star Walk entrance and provide tickets to the game. Against Delaware, he hosted more than 200 Special Olympics athletes, families and staff. He has also helped amplify the stories of athletes, coaches and advocates through a Special Olympics podcast and spent four years organizing school supply drives. A regular visitor to a local children's hospital, he has raised funds for the Dancing Dores Miracle Network Dance Marathon and recognized healthcare professionals through the Clarksville Hospital Opening and Staff Appreciation initiative.
(All stats through Oct. 17, 2026.)
