For some, being a cheer brother means attending every game, competition, and pep rally to show your sibling support. For the Vaughn brothers, their love for cheerleading brought them together on the same sideline.

Jed, Zachary, and Elijah Vaughn were all cheerleaders for the Alabama Crimson Tide this year. Jed, a senior majoring in business marketing, was the first to join the team and just completed his fourth year cheering for the Tide. Zachary, a junior, is in his third year on the squad, while Elijah, a sophomore, is a first-year team member.

"It was an amazing experience to get to cheer with my brothers," Jed said. 

Watching them grow in the sport and having them help me along the way is all I could ever ask for.

Jed said his favorite memories with his brothers were all the times they took the mat at nationals and traveled to different games together. 


Zachary, Elijah and Jed embrace at an Alabama football pre-game tailgate.

It's not every day you get to cheer on your favorite team in the national championship game -- let alone in back-to-back years. Lucky enough for the Vaughn brothers, Jed and Zachary were able to cheer the Tide to victory at the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship against the Clemson Tigers. This year, all three brothers shared the sidelines for the national title rematch between Alabama and Clemson, which the Tigers narrowly won.


However, college cheerleading comes with its share of ups and downs, and being a student athlete isn't always easy.

"It helped tremendously having them with me," Jed said. "We know how to help each other get pumped up, and we know how to keep each other calm. It was always a great help to have them to talk about everything after practices to keep each other in check."

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