Last year, Vanderbilt running back Sedrick Alexander scored 15 total touchdowns. However, this year, each one is set to mean something else, and it goes beyond football.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Alexander wears No. 28, the same number former Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson wore in Nashville. Johnson’s ALS diagnosis, made public in June 2026, gave that shared number a new story.
On Friday, September 18, 2026, Alexander posted a video from the field at FirstBank Stadium. Nashville attorney Blair Durham stood with him for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and pledged the same $280 for every Alexander touchdown.
“In honor of Chris Johnson and his fight against ALS, I’m donating $280 for every touchdown I score this season to the @alsassociation. I’m proud to use this game. I love to support something bigger than football and help raise awareness for ALS. Check bio to join!”
The $280 figure is tied to No. 28, and the money is going to the ALS Association. Alexander later explained the choice to Vandy on SI’s Joey Dwyer.
“I wanted to use something I love doing to make a difference,” he said. “Every touchdown gives me a chance to give back to the community and show my support for Chris Johnson as he faces his challenges.” He told Dwyer the scoring itself is now a way to help.
That support is personal because of how Alexander sees Johnson in the position. “As a running back, I’ve always looked up to him because he’s one of the best to ever play the position,” he noted. “Connecting the donation to touchdowns felt personal to me because football has given me a platform to do something positive.”
Through three games, Alexander has three touchdowns. A rushing score against Austin Peay on September 5, another rushing score against Delaware on September 12, and a 10-yard receiving touchdown from Jared Curtis against NC State on September 19. That is $840 from Alexander at $280 each.
Durham’s match would bring the combined pledge to $1,680. The September 18 announcement covers every touchdown this season, including the first two. Vanderbilt is 3-0 heading into Saturday’s game at Auburn, so the total can still change.
Coach Clark Lea called the move a sign of who Alexander is in his fourth season. The Commodores stayed with him after lean years, and Lea said the pledge shows care that goes past the locker room.
Chris Johnson’s ALS battle
Alexander’s pledge only makes full sense next to what Johnson has faced since last year. Johnson publicly shared his ALS diagnosis on June 29, 2026, on ABC’s Good Morning America with Michael Strahan.
He said doctors found it in 2025, when he was 39. The first signs were weakness in his right hand and a weaker grip. Family and doctors first thought it might be football wear, like a pinched nerve. Tests indicated sporadic ALS, the form that accounts for about 90% of cases and does not require a family history.
By the June interview, he could not speak on his own. He used an eye-triggered device that plays his recorded voice. He still told viewers, “I’m still me. Johnson has also asked the NFL to invest more in research and player protection.
Alexander pointed the money at the ALS Association, whose mission is to “Make ALS livable and cure it.” The group funds research and trials, including work tied to Qalsody. It also pushes for research dollars and patient policy. The same group was a main beneficiary of the 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge, which Johnson helped revive in 2026.
The NFL Foundation gave $500,000 to Massachusetts General Hospital’s Healey and AMG Center for ALS. The Titans sold 2,000 tickets at $28 for the September 13 opener, with $5 from each ticket going to the Vanderbilt ALS Research Center, up to $10,000 if all tickets are sold.
Last season, Alexander scored 15 times. If he hits that mark again, his pledge would be $4,200. A full Durham match would add another $4,200, bringing the total to $8,400. Vanderbilt still has Auburn on September 26, then the rest of the regular season and a possible bowl.