NASHVILLE-The days have become familiar for MK Young at this point. He wakes up, gets to the Vanderbilt football facility, goes through his pre-practice routine and goes through a few practice reps before watching Vanderbilt's unproven running backs take the vast majority of them.
When Young arrived on Vanderbilt's campus over a year ago, he was one of those unproven backs taking heavy practice reps. There was a clear expectation that Young would impact winning in 2025, but he hadn't done it yet.
All he had done was rush for 191 yards in 28 carries at New Mexico State in 2023 before committing to Vanderbilt in the transfer portal and missing the entirety of the 2024 season for a still-undisclosed reason. Young spent the year away in his hometown of Midland, Texas, working at a church and attending seminary.
The year was rewarding for Young, but was challenging in its own right. He wanted to play football, and he couldn't. When he finally got back on the field at Vanderbilt's FirstBank Stadium, Young cried. A year later, this scenery is much more familiar to Young.
But, does it feel normal?
"Normal, no," Young said Wednesday at Vanderbilt's fall camp. "Oftentimes we get so caught up in like 'he blessed me that year, he blessed me last year. It's all over the same again. I'll probably cry again just because I'm just so blessed and so humbled to be a part of this great university. I think we take so much of a small things and small details in life for granted, and we think that they're just supposed to be able to come to us, but every year's a blessing."
Vanderbilt running back Makhilyn Young (22) and wide receiver Tristen Brown (5) go through warmups during practice at Vanderbilt University's McGugin Center practice fields Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Young's 2025, though, was his biggest blessing yet. He went for a career-high 414 yards, six touchdowns, 133 receiving yards on 14 receptions and appeared in all 13 games as Vanderbilt went for a program-record 10 wins.
A year after fighting to prove himself in Vanderbilt's fall camp, Young is among its most recognizable players as a result of his production. Young wasn't one of Vanderbilt's most impactful players in 2025, but his Rolodex of highlight moments is as impressive as anyone besides Diego Pavia's.
Young went for a 62-yard run against Virginia Tech, a 60 yarder against Georgia State and an 80 harder against Missouri. As a result, his yards per carry average inflated to a video-game like 9.0. To some the number appears flukey, but don't tell Young that.
"All I know is that any time we get the ball, and we get the privilege to carry a ball, I want to try to make the best of it," Young said. "I take very much pride in that. So when I'm blessed to be able to carry that ball, as much as I can do with it, that's what I want to do is make explosive plays, and I'm hoping to-I will have more this season."
Young is a versatile modern back that can be a safety net for Vanderbilt's first-time starting quarterback and can complement Vanderbilt starting running back Sedrick Alexander again. Even if Young doesn't run for his absurdly efficient average again, he'll give Vanderbilt another dimension with his pass catching-which appears to have improved significantly.
Vanderbilt running back Makhilyn Young (22) goes through warmups during practice at Vanderbilt University's McGugin Center practice fields Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
No matter what, Young promises to not leave meat on the bone on every run that he takes in 2026. When he watches film, he cringes at what other backs leave out there as a result of not running hard enough or falling forward. He's sworn to avoid that at any cost, and Vanderbilt running backs coach Ghaali Muhammad-Lankford believes that Young is serious about his declaration.
Young believes he's in the best running back room in the country alongside Alexander, regardless of what anyone else says about it. And, he knows that he has to hold up his end in order for that to be the case.
It appears as if there's little doubt that he will.
"The thing about MK is that he's a worker," Muhammad-Lankford said, "And, so if you watch practice, one thing that you would notice is the way that he finishes. I tell guys all the time that there's not a drill that I have to simulate making that safety miss and running into the end zone. And so that finish is critical for us, and so we take great pride in it, and he finishes every rep."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/vanderbilt as Why Vanderbilt Football's MK Young Believes His Breakout 2025 Season Was Just The Start .
