Vanderbilt Basketball Pre-Summer Depth Chart: Three Young Players Who Will Help In 2026-27 – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt basketball opens official summer practices on Thursday and already has all of its players in the gym preparing for what lies ahead. It appears as if a number of Vanderbilt's starters and bench players are determined–which is outlined in another Vandy on SI piece–but its roster is deeper than it's been in the past and could include a few talented young players fighting for consistent roles.
Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington often turns to big rotations, which will give a few players chances to prove that they can help him. Byington often says he'll need everyone, and it appears as if he'll need these three to step up.
Here's three young players that will likely help Vanderbilt basketball in 2026-27.
Ant Brown
Brown stacks up with the most dynamic high school scorers that Byington has recruited since arriving at Vanderbilt and could be a real addition to its rotation as a microwave scorer. 
The question is ‘what will Brown have to do in order to find a consistent role as a complementary player alongside three high-level veteran guards?’ Whether he can take the summer to learn how to play off of those players and can guard them at a high level will determine how big his role is when the regular season kicks off. 
Brown is uber talented, though, and will be a factor as a result. And if he can fit in, Byington will let him score it like he knows he can. 
“That’s really one of the reasons why I came here,” Brown told Vandy on SI in the winter. “Coach [Byington], his play style since he started coaching has never changed. He lets his guys be themselves. That’s something I really took into consideration.” 
Jayden Leverett
Leverett will be improved in year two in Byington’s system and is a candidate to take a major jump, but he steps into a crowded frontcourt alongside three players that Vanderbilt spent significantly on. 
It appears as if Leverett will get an opportunity as Vanderbilt backup five man, though, which will likely put him firmly in the rotation. That’s enough of a platform for Leverett to demonstrate how valuable of a player he can be to this Vanderbilt program. 
For now, though, he’s just working on taking a step forward. 
“I think I’ve improved on the physicality part,” Leverett told Vandy on SI at the NCAA Tournament. “That’s a big deal for me. They want me to be physical and just do my job. I know my job is to be a role player, and when I go in there, my job is I try to get rebounds and just be physical so I can give my other guys a break. I just make sure to do that as best as I can.” 
Jackson Sheffield 
Sheffield is Byington’s breakthrough high school frontcourt commit and appears to be a candidate to play as a freshman because of his athleticism and the bulk within his frame that could allow him to match up with bigs in league play. 
It appears as if Sheffield is the most talented freshman big that Byington has rostered since taking the Vanderbilt job, but he steps into a crowded frontcourt that will force him to take advantage of the limited opportunities he may get. 
Sheffield has it in him to be a tremendous long-term player at Vanderbilt, but he likely won’t be needed as much as Leverett was down the stretch in 2025-26.
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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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