Morgan County senior Landen Vickers is a player that every coach dreams of having on their team.
The veteran inside linebacker is a team-first guy who is the first one in the building and the last out.
Vickers heads into his senior season for the Bulldogs wanting to make a bigger impact on the program. He also wants to leave Morgan County with a football scholarship to play at the next level.
“I’ve been playing football my entire life. Basically since elementary school,” Vickers said. “In middle school, I got down on myself and took a few years off, which was the worst mistake I have made in my entire life. I saw all of my buddies out there [on the field] having the time of their lives, and I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my school career.
"Hopefully, I can do it at the next level, which would be a dream. At that moment, I realized there was nothing more that I could dream of than having a greater chance of playing [football[ more and more.”
Vickers has been a key part of Morgan County’s defense over the past few years. However, the Bulldogs coaching staff is hoping the senior can play an even bigger role heading into the 2023 season.
Vickers is the lone returning starter at the linebacker position for Morgan County. So, his coaches are relying on him to handle a lot of responsibilities as a veteran on the defense, including being a leader.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker acknowledged the responsibility of being a leader and what he’s been asked to do. He also added that he has high expectations for the defense this year.
“I’m the middle linebacker, which means I call the defense with Coach [Clint] Jenkins, I do our checks and everything,” Vickers said. “We have a very experienced defense. I expect them to play their part and they’ve been doing great so far [this summer]. I just want to be that teammate that puts them in the right spot, and hopefully makes the entire defense be successful in what they do.”
Morgan County head coach Clint Jenkins thinks highly of Vickers, who’s been in his system for two years.
“Landen [Vickers] is a guy that comes to work every day. He’s a good kid and he never causes any problems. He’s [also] always going full speed and you never have to worry about his effort, attitude, or anything like that,” Jenkins said. “He’s a guy that’s going to show up and know that he loves playing football. We’re expecting big things out of Landen this year. ”
Jenkins added that Vickers is a leader for the young players on the team, and they look up to him.
“He’s definitely a guy that these younger [players] are looking up to for some leadership,” Jenkins said. “Landen’s had a really good offseason as well. He’s kind of had some injuries along the way with a little bit of bad luck, but I am really excited to see and watch what he does this year.”
Vickers embraces the role of being a leader both on and off the field. He thinks his teammates would describe him as a player who leads by example and is there for them at all times during the season.
Vickers is big on the idea of accountability and wants it to be important for the Bulldogs. He wants his teammates - on either side of the ball - to hold him accountable while he does the same for them.
“I hope they see me as a guy who is there to help them out, but that is also there to correct them. I want my boys to call my bluff, call my bull crap anytime I do something,” Vickers said. “Just like I am going to call them out every time I get the chance.
Because I definitely want them to hold me accountable and I hold them accountable. So, hopefully, if you were to have this same conversation with them, they would say, ‘Vickers is hard on us sometimes, but he’s also there to pick us up.’ And I want to be that kid who can put down a hit, but also be able to help my boys up.”
As far as expectations go for 2023, Vickers hasn’t put much thought into the wins and losses of the team. He desires that the Bulldogs can play as a team and face adversity together as a unit this year.
According to Vickers, Morgan County fell apart in the middle of last season after facing some challenges and felt as if the camaraderie wasn’t quite the same, so he wants that to immediately change.
“We faced some adversity last season and it tore us up [internally]. After all of that, I don’t think we were the same,” he said. “This year, we need to stay a team, start as a team and finish as a team. If these boys stay as a team and play together, I think that we have a [fighting] chance this year.”
Vickers doesn’t have any social media and spends a lot of his time outside of football working toward his future. He also enjoys playing video games, hanging out on the lake and working out.
Vickers takes his academics very seriously, hoping his skills on the field can further both his education and football career. He’s had a dream of playing college football since he was a little kid.
“I’ve been talking with my dad and he thinks I have a future in the engineering field,” Vickers said. “I love math and work stuff out with my head and hands. Right now, I have no idea what I am going to do with my life and what this season is to bring.
"I’m just trying to look forward to my senior year, have fun with my boys and see where my education goes. Maybe it can lead to a football scholarship. I have always dreamed of continuing my football career to play at the next level.”