Mark Byington Updates Health Statuses of Vanderbilt Basketball's Gabe Nesmith and TO Barrett – Sports Illustrated

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Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington took the podium Tuesday at SEC Media Day with a few injury updates in mind, one positive and one negative. 
Byington said Vanderbilt guard TO Barrett has returned to practice for the last two days, but confirmed that reclassified freshman Gabe Nesmith is not practicing ahead of Vanderbilt’s Monday exhibition against UAB. 
“We're trying to get them both going,” Byington said from the podium at SEC Media Days. “They'll both be valuable guys on the team, and it's one of those things right now also too. I think you have a lot of precaution with guys coming back from injuries. I know what's ahead of us, and I want to make sure these guys are healthy when they come back, so maybe we're being extra cautious right now.” 
Barrett missed Vanderbilt’s exhibition win over Virginia in Charleston, but sources told Vandy on SI that he was getting closer to returning. The indication is that Nesmith doesn’t have a season-altering injury. 
Nesmith committed to Vanderbilt in late June and became the program’s highest-rated commit under Byington as well as the first five-star that the program landed since 2018. Vanderbilt and Nesmith mutually agreed at the time that a reclass made sense for both sides, but they pushed it down the line so that he could participate in Peach Jam and a number of other high school summer events. But, Nesmith–the cousin of former Vanderbilt wing Aaron Nesmith–joined the team in the late summer and is expected to be a rotation piece this season. 
He finished Vanderbilt’s exhibition win with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting and made a few highlight plays in the process. 
Barrett averaged 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in 2025-26 while shooting 46.0% from the field as well as 20.5% from 3-point range on 1.3 attempts per game. Missouri used Barrett in 20-24% of its offensive possessions and he repaid Tigers' coach Dennis Gates by finishing with a national ranking in assist rate, free throw rate and steal rate.
Vanderbilt’s staff saw Barrett up close and personal in one of his best games of the season, a 16-point performance against the Commodores in which he went 8-for-9 from the free throw line and shot 2-for-5 from 3-point range. Barrett also had five assists in that game. 
Byington looks to get both Barrett and Nesmith back for Vanderbilt’s opener against Bellarmine on Nov. 2.
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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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