Vanderbilt surged in its second season under head coach Mark Byington, finishing 27-9 (11-7 in SEC play) and placing second in the SEC Championship behind Arkansas. The Commodores earned an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round before falling to Nebraska.
Byington enters the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season with momentum, having demonstrated that Vanderbilt can compete with the NCAA’s elite. Still, the challenge ahead is formidable: he must quickly assemble another strong squad after losing most of his players to graduation and the transfer portal.
Vanderbilt Commodores’ 2026 Transfer Portal Tracker
Building on the team’s achievements from the past season will be challenging for Byington and his coaching staff. As with many other programs, some players have left the team after exhausting their eligibility. In contrast, others have entered the transfer portal in hopes of finding a new team that will offer them more playing time next season.
Ten players have left Vanderbilt either by graduation or by finding new teams through the transfer portal. Here is the list as of April 21, after the portal window closed.
Confirmed Departures
- Duke Miles – Exhausted college eligibility
- Devin McGlockton – Exhausted college eligibility
- George Kimble III – Committed to Auburn
- Mike James – Committed to South Florida
- Jaylon Dean-Vines – Committed to McNeese
Miles appeared in 28 games for Vanderbilt and was the team’s second-leading scorer and steals leader. The 6’2″ guard, who previously played for Troy, High Point, and Oklahoma, averaged 16.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.6 steals in 26.2 minutes per game. He shot 43.5% from the field and 90.1% from the free-throw line.
McGlockton suited up for 36 games, averaging 9.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, and 1.2 apg in 25.3 minutes per game. The 6’7″ forward shot 55.5% from the field and 73.2% from the free-throw line.
Kimble redshirted during his only season at Vanderbilt while recovering from a knee injury. After the season ended, the 6’2″ guard, who played for Eastern Kentucky in 2024-25, announced he would enter the transfer portal. He committed to Auburn on April 22.
James saw limited minutes for Vanderbilt this past season. He played in 22 games, averaging 1.5 ppg and 2.0 rpg while logging 10.6 minutes per game. James committed to South Florida on April 15. Dean-Vines suited up in 10 games this past season, averaging 0.9 ppg and 0.4 rpg. He announced his commitment to McNeese on April 11.
Players Leaving in the Transfer Portal
- Tyler Harris
- Mason Nicholson
Harris entered the transfer portal on April 7 after playing one season at Vanderbilt. The 6’8″ guard appeared in 30 games for the Commodores, averaging 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.
Nicholson appeared in only five games for Vanderbilt due to illness and undisclosed reasons. He entered the transfer portal on April 15 and is a graduate senior. The 6’10” center averaged 0.4 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.
In Limbo
- AK Okereke
- Tyler Nickel
- Jalen Washington
- Frankie Collins
Okereke has technically used his college eligibility after playing at Vanderbilt this past season. However, the 6’7″ forward is seeking a waiver to return for another season. The waiver request concerns the Ivy League’s lack of a redshirt policy during his first season at Cornell in 2022-23, when he played just 4 games.
Nickel entered the portal on April 19, despite having exhausted his college eligibility. The 6’7″ forward, who averaged 13.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and 1.2 apg while shooting 44.5% from the field and 40.0% from long range, hopes for approval of the “five-for-five” eligibility proposal, which would allow players like him to play for an additional fifth season without redshirting and with limited waivers.
Washington is in a situation similar to Nickel’s. He entered the transfer portal before the April 21 deadline, hoping a policy change would grant him an extra year of eligibility. He averaged 8.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game and was a key part of Vanderbilt’s campaign this past season.
Meanwhile, Collins officially entered the portal on March 27 and is seeking a medical hardship waiver to play his sixth season of college basketball. The 6’1″ guard appeared in nine games for Vanderbilt before a knee injury ended his season. He averaged 7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.4 steals per game.
Declared for the NBA Draft
- Tyler Tanner
Tanner was the Commodores’ leading scorer as a sophomore this past season, averaging 19.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. The 6’0″ guard shot 48.5% from the field and 85.3% from the free-throw line in a breakout year. Tanner declared for the NBA Draft on April 24.
Expected To Return
- Chandler Bing
- Jayden Leverett
Bing suited up in 36 games as a freshman, averaging 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He played 14.8 minutes per game off the bench and shot 47.8% from the field. Leverett played in 26 games for the Commodores and fared well despite limited minutes during his freshman season. The 6’11” center averaged 1.0 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.0 minutes per game.
Incoming Transfer Players
- T.O. Barrett (from Missouri)
- Sebastian Williams-Adams (from Auburn)
- Bangot Dak (from Colorado)
- Ace Glass (from Washington State)
- Berke Buyuktuncel (from Nebraska)
Barrett announced his commitment to play for Vanderbilt on April 22. During his sophomore year at Missouri, the 6’4″ guard appeared in 33 games, averaging 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals.
Williams-Adams committed to the Commodores on April 21, following a strong freshman season at Auburn. The 6’8″ forward appeared in 38 games for the Tigers, averaging 7.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, and 1.2 spg. He shot 50.5% from the field and 51.9% from the free-throw line.
Dak broke out during his junior season at Colorado, averaging 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 32 games. The 6’9″ forward announced his commitment on April 19.
Glass posted excellent numbers for Washington State as a freshman. The 6’3″ guard, who announced his commitment to the Commodores on April 17, averaged 16.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, and 2.3 apg in 32 games for the Cougars this past season.
Buyuktuncel, who committed on April 17, played in 33 games for Nebraska, averaging 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game. The Turkish big man also played for UCLA as a freshman before transferring to the Cornhuskers for the 2024-25 season.
Incoming Freshmen
- Anthony Brown
- Jackson Sheffield
- Ethan Mgbako
Brown, a four-star point guard, signed with Vanderbilt on September 24, 2025. The 6’1″ Archbishop Carroll High School standout ranked No. 9 among point guards and No. 74 overall, according to 247 Sports. The Washington, D.C., native averaged 18.9 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game for Team Durant on the EYBL circuit.
Mgbako, a four-star small forward, signed with the Commodores on November 21, 2025. He is ranked No. 67 nationally and No. 28 among small forwards. The 6’6″, 215-pound Oak Hill Academy standout is the younger brother of Texas A&M forward Mackenzie Mgbako.
Sheffield signed with Vanderbilt on November 13, 2025, to bolster the Commodores’ frontline for the 2026-27 season. The 6’9″ four-star recruit is ranked No. 18 among centers and 138th overall, per 247 Sports. The big man helped Hoover High School finish 35-0 in 2024-25.
