Nashville, TENN--Even Nick Rinaldi couldn't have predicted this.

The Vanderbilt linebacker didn't grow up envisioning himself as an SEC football player that would make an impact as Vanderbilt picked up some of its biggest wins in program history, he probably didn't even think a high school football career was ahead of him.

For awhile he was right.

Rinaldi left football after his eighth-grade pee wee season and thought that was it. He was basketball player that wanted to continue to be.

Telling the Vanderbilt linebacker a few years ago that he'd be referred to with that title and that he'd be third on the team in tackles in a statement win would probably earn you a weird look.

"I didn’t [envision that] at all," RInaldi said. "Right before I came [to Vanderbilt] If you had told me that I woulda been probably thinking you were lying to me."

Up to that point Rinaldi had his sights set on a Divison III basketball career as a versatile, defense-first asset. It wasn't until a Covid-shortened spring football season presented itself as an option in Rinaldi's senior year of high school that he considered giving it a shot.

It still wasn't an easy sell for Rinaldi, who had been the subject of Dover Sherborn head coach Steve Ryan's recruiting pitch for years.

"Coach Ryan had been trying to get me to play for awhile," Rinaldi said. "Me and a few friends thought it would be best to say 'screw it' go out and play football my senior year. With a Covid-shortened season, it all kinda made sense. It was right after basketball season, which I had been focusing on the most, so I didn’t have to worry about injuries."

At that point football was considered to be Rinaldi's last hurrah at the high school level, it wasn't a place that he thought could catapult him to the next level.

Rinaldi was effective at that point just by nature of his athletic tools, which Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea sees clearly now.

"He's a protypical NFL linebacker," Lea said. "He has all the physical traits, he’s hit 22 miles an hour for us, a guy that is 240 pounds, long, 6-foot-2 with arm length."

Those traits were there in flashes as Rinaldi took the field as a high school senior, but the full product was nowhere near Division I worthy.

"You look at the old tape it’s pretty embarrassing," Rinaldi said. "The learning curve was pretty steep."

At that point Rinaldi wasn't ready for moments like chasing down Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in front of a sold-out crowd. That wouldn't come for awhile.

A post-grad year at Salisbury School in Connecticut would speed up the learning curve, though.

"[I] sort of took a leap of faith there. Last minute, in late August, I decided to go," Rinaldi said. "I went right up there and immediately started playing like the next day and then we went into that season and then I ended up getting attention from a few schools for preferred walk-on opportunities."

Vanderbilt was among those schools and ultimately sold the then defensive end, outside linebacker hybrid with its emphasis on academics.

Rinaldi thought at the very least he'd benefit from the opportunities he'd receive in the classroom.

"[Football] sort of opened up a new opportunity for me to get into schools I couldn’t get into with just my academics so I took advantage of that," Rinaldi said. "I care a lot about academics. Coming here to Vanderbilt really means a lot to me, just thriving in that aspect of my life."

Lea, who has been around Rinaldi for four years and has formed a genuine connection with the walk-on, has taken notice of that aspect of Rinaldi.

"He’s an incredible student," Lea said. "He’s a guy that probably has a 4.0 in the classroom here."

Lea noticed early on while Rinaldi was finding himself in the backfield in fall camp 1-on-1s that he may have something on the field, too.

It was far from a presentable on-field product at edge at that point, but the then- No. 59 made an impression.

That impression wasn't always apparent to the untrained eye. It often came in more relaxed settings and special teams.

"Sometimes your physical tools present first in those settings because your mind’s not getting in the way," Lea said. "When the ball is snapped and you’re trying to execute a scheme sometimes you can slow down because you gotta process."

Rinaldi has learned how to process things and is no longer just a toolsy walk-on.

He's a factor.

That was evident in Vanderbilt's 24-14 win in which Rinaldi led the team in tackles. Vanderbilt's week-eight win was also Rinaldi's second-consecutive game with a sack.

"With Langston [Patterson] going down Rinaldi's made sure we haven't missed a beat," Vanderbilt safety CJ Taylor said. "He's a mature guy, he always preps like he's a starter."

Rinaldi isn't worried about how he's viewed, though. He just wants to find his career memorable as he looks back upon it.

"I want to just have a good time, enjoy the moment and not let it pass by," Rinaldi said. "At the end of the day you might think this stuff is super hard but I’m really grateful for the opportunities it’s given me, all the doors it’s opened."