The Offseason Possibilities Are Endless For Vanderbilt Basketball and Mark Byington. Column – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—-As Mark Byington and his staff meet each day in the side room at the Huber Center, they’re likely overwhelmed and embracing the grind of working at all hours to position themselves to win big in 2025-26.
In the back of their heads, though, they’re likely giddy. 
The spring portal season always represents opportunity, but it feels as if that’s especially the case for this Vanderbilt staff. They’ve got what sources tell Vandy on SI is an eight-figure budget to work with in NIL—and potentially a bigger pot to operate out of if star guard Tyler Tanner returns. They’ve proven that they can win big already. Now, they’ve just got to capitalize. 
It’s almost unthinkable to say, but Vanderbilt’s staff really didn’t do that an offseason ago. They nailed nearly all of their evaluations in year one and got better in year two, but it wasn’t because they killed it in the portal. Duke Miles and Jalen Washington elevated the level of Vanderbilt’s 2025-26 team significantly, but it’s almost surprising that this team was this good knowing what we now know about what its portal additions did for it.
The indication is that Vanderbilt allotted well over two million dollars—and maybe more than three million, although some of the money set to be on the books didn’t have to be paid out—to Tyler Harris, Frankie Collins, Mike James and Mason Nicholson. Imagine what that team could’ve been had Harris and James been what this Vanderbilt staff thought they were. Imagine if Collins hadn’t been injured and Nicholson could’ve kept himself on the floor. We’re not talking Round of 32 anymore, we’re talking about places that this program hasn’t been in a long time. 
Now, think Vanderbilt’s staff made all those mistakes and still got this program one shot away from the second weekend. That indicates that everything that it could’ve accomplished a year ago had Vanderbilt’s staff gotten it closer to right in the portal is still well within reach. They’ve since moved on from their mistakes and have the chance to build the most complete roster they’ve had to date. 
That roster could start with one of the biggest returning stars in the sport if this all goes to plan. Tanner still has a complex decision—with great magnitude—in front of him, but there’s murmurs that indicate Vanderbilt’s staff is operating and approaching the transfer portal with a real sense of optimism in regard to the potential reality that Tanner will return. 
Nobody appeared to have much of a feel on Tanner’s situation when the season ended, but most sources appear to be predicting a return these days. All that can change as a result of Tanner hearing positive feedback while going through the NBA Draft process—which he should, and likely will, do. After all, Tanner’s dream has always been to play in the NBA. The only thing that could hurt Vanderbilt here is if Tanner draws the process out to the May 27 withdrawal deadline and opts to head to the NBA. It will have to have a contingency plan. 
Tanner loves Vanderbilt too, though, and it would make sense for him to return. If he does so, he’d have the platform to refine his game and would be perhaps the most highly compensated player in the sport. 
If Tanner is one of the sport’s most highly paid, that positions Vanderbilt to be elite. It’s not as if it won’t have a supporting cast surrounding him as a result of it losing a number of veterans because of his payday, either. 
Vanderbilt already has a built-in core around Tanner with Chandler Bing, Jayden Leverett and its class of four-star freshmen—namely Ethan Mgbako and Ant Brown, who are both expected to contribute significantly right away. Its best returner not named Tanner could be AK Okereke–who is pushing for an additional year of eligibility on the basis of the Ivy League’s lack of a redshirt rule. Those things bouncing Vanderbilt’s way would give it six rotational players–the most it’s had on a roster heading into a portal cycle since Byington arrived on West End. 
All that leaves Vanderbilt needing is a true five man–which it could have if it lands Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski–a four man to replace Devin McGlockton–which would become less important if Okereke can secure another year of eligibility–as well as a two guard to replace Duke Miles–North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon, anyone–and a Tyler Nickel replacement of sorts. It can even add another ballhandler if it’d like. 
That positions Byington and company to be far more selective about who it pursues than it’s been in past offseasons. It doesn’t have to worry about filling a number of gaps. It’s just got to get a few guys, a few of the right guys that can position them to go further than they’ve ever gone under Byington. 
It doesn’t even have to be perfect to do that. It just has to have a hit rate closer to the one it had in 2024-25 than the one it had in 2025-26. Buckle up. Time to see if this group can do it.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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